TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS DURING THE IMPLEMENTATIONOF THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES MODEL:A SCHOOL REFORM INITIATIVE

Abstract

This quantitative quasi-experimental study focused on the school reform initiative,Professional Learning Communities (PLC) proposed by DuFour and Eaker. The studyinvestigated teachers’ perceptions during the implementation of the ProfessionalLearning Communities Model, a school reform initiative, to determine if teachers’perceptions changed during implementation. Certified teachers in three elementaryschools were surveyed utilizing the Stages of Concern Questionnaire developed byGeorge, Hall, & Stiegelbauer (2006). The survey was administered in November 2007and in April 2008 to evaluate the differences in teachers’ perceptions during theimplementation process. Data collection consisted of comparing 14 sets of means todetermine if the differences were significant. Conclusions found significant differencesbetween many pairs of means, concluding that teachers’ perceptions changed during theNovember and April Questionnaire administration.