Improving teaching and learning: A case study of a rural Texas elementary school’s implementation of professional learning communities and culturally responsive pedagogical practices
Year: 2019
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Rural school educational practices are very different than urban practices. Upon receiving a principal position at a rural elementary school in Texas, the researcher completed the action research process in order to improve instructional practices and student outcomes. \nThe focus of this study was to determine: \n1. Through implementation of PLCs and professional learning related to cultural proficiency, what strategies will teachers discuss and implement during classroom instruction? \n2. Through implementation of PLCs, what formal and informal methods will teachers use to measure student progress and analyze data to inform classroom instruction? \nThrough the action research process, this study aimed to determine whether effective implementation of collaborative inquiry and data use processes through Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) would improve cultural proficiency and instructional practices for teachers at a rural elementary school in Texas. While progressing through the action research process, the researcher followed specific research methodological designs in order to gain relevance and validity. This rural school improvement study followed Coghlan and Brannick’s (2014) description of “insider action research,” and it followed Mintrop’s (2016) “design-based school improvement” intervention design principles and strategies. This study’s qualitative data, including classroom observations, participant interviews, and researcher’s notes, was gathered, analyzed, and presented following the tradition of Yin’s (2018) case study description. \n By conducting a thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase process, three themes and four subthemes were identified and supported by specific examples obtained during the data collection process. The themes that emerged from the data include Theme 1: System-wide Alignment, Subtheme 1: Role of the School Leader, Subtheme 2: Unique Rural Setting, Theme 2: Professional Learning, Subtheme 1: Data Use, Subtheme 2: Planning, and Theme 3: Cultural Proficiency. Analysis and discussion of these themes are reported in the study’s findings. Through the implementation of professional learning communities in a rural elementary school, this study aimed to contribute to the educational knowledge base by providing educational practitioners with useful school improvement information and application opportunities. The information gleaned from this study will also aid the school leader in future improvement planning processes as the staff works together to improve their planning and data use practices in addition to their individual cultural proficiency levels.
Author: Jessica Parker
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3017939736