Unpacking the Mechanism: How Professional Learning Communities Influence Primary School Teachers' Self-Efficacy

Abstract

This paper investigates the mediation mechanisms through which professional learning communities shape primary teachers' self-efficacy in various educational systems. Based on the data from 15,847 teachers in 16 systems, a multi-level mediation analysis was conducted to test the mediation effects of teacher collaboration, professional development, and job satisfaction. Professional learning communities were measured by aggregating collaborative activity at the school level, while self-efficacy was assessed by the TALIS Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale. The study employed hierarchical linear modeling and multi-level structural equation modeling, which involved the use of bootstrap methods, to address the nested data structure. The findings show that professional learning communities had a positive total standardised effect of 0.43 on self-efficacy, where teacher collaboration was the strongest mediator (indirect effect = 45.8%), followed by job satisfaction (indirect effect = 37.5%) and professional development (indirect effect = 16.7%). The direct effect was significant at 0.19, indicating the presence of residual mechanisms. Cross-country analyses disclosed wide variations, where teacher collaboration was most pronounced in Nordic systems (0.14-0.17), while job satisfaction was most salient in East Asia (Japan = 0.16, South Korea = 0.15). The study contributes to theory by shedding more light on the mechanisms for efficacy development, while its findings can be utilised to develop culturally adapted professional learning activities to boost primary teachers' confidence by engaging them in genuine collaborative activities.