The moderating effect of beginning teachers' perceptions of professional learning communities on their self-efficacy and future career decisions
Abstract
Decisions. (Under the direction of Theodore Kaniuka, Ed.D.) The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the influence of professional learning communities (PLCs) and self-efficacy on beginning teachers' career decisions using a path analytic approach, specifically a moderation model. The study explored the conditional effects of PLCs and self-efficacy on beginning teachers' intent to remain teaching at their current school, as well as PLCs as a moderator. The participants included 132 elementary and middle school beginning teachers from a mid-sized, rural school district in North Carolina. Data on these variables were collected using the Teachers Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES)-Short Form (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001), the Professional Learning Communities Assessment-Revised (PLCA-R) (Olivier, Hipp, & Huffman, 2003), and a single question asking about their intent for the following year. Binary logistic regression and correlation analysis were used to explore the relationship between the variables and the significance of the hypothesized model. According to the data, a moderate positive correlation existed between PLCs and self-efficacy; however, correlations between PLCs and future career decisions, and self-efficacy and future career decisions were not significant. Data analysis also revealed the model was indeterminate indicating that the predictors of PLCs, self-efficacy, or the interaction between the two could not reliably distinguish between teachers who choose to stay at the same school and those who choose to leave their schools. In attempt to find a more parsimonious model and to determine if any partial effects could be established of PLCs and self-efficacy, the researcher removed the interaction term. Analysis of the partial effects indicated that the model was not significant and the predictors do not contribute significantly to the prediction of future career decisions.
Subject Area
Educational leadership
Recommended Citation
Dowless, Debra May, "The moderating effect of beginning teachers' perceptions of professional learning communities on their self-efficacy and future career decisions" (2016). ETD Collection for Fayetteville State University. AAI10610445.
https://digitalcommons.uncfsu.edu/dissertations/AAI10610445