EXPLORING NORTH CAROLINA HEAD START TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY COLLABORATIVE FRAMEWORK

Abstract

Professional learning communities, or PLCs, comprise of a group of educators, and sometimes other professionals, that meet, share their ideas, and work together to problem solve and share strategies related to teaching and working with students. This framework is widely utilized in primary and secondary educational settings, but much less is known about their effectiveness and desire to be used in the early childhood context. In this mixed-methods study, we examined the perceived helpfulness and expectations NC Head Start teachers have, regarding PLCs, through the collection of survey data (n=168). In addition to this, we examined the lived experiences of 11 NC Head Start teachers and their perceptions, beliefs, and thoughts about PLCs, specifically, as a professional development tool. The quantitative findings suggest NC Head Start teachers' perceptions of PLCs are positive. They generally agreed that participating in a PLC would be a meaningful experience that is worth their time. In addition to this, we discovered these teachers view PLCs to be helpful for identifying student needs and creating strategies to help meet these needs. Various themes emerged from the qualitative data analysis: PLCs as a tool for receiving and providing support through collaboration; mutual trust, respect, structure, organization, and supervisor involvement as key components to professional collaboration within a PLC; PLCs as a helpful tool to enhance science and food-related education; and teacher perceived limiting factors to utilizing PLCs. In conclusion, limitations of the study and implications for the field of early childhood education are shared, and suggestions for future research are stated.