Differentiated Gains: How Experience Moderates the Impact of Professional Learning Communities

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 7:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher Learning, Collaboration, and Efficacy for Educational Change

Abstract

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) have been widely implemented in Korea to enhance teacher professionalism. Drawing on data from the 2020 Seoul Education Longitudinal Study—a comprehensive dataset on Korean teachers—this study explores the associations between PLC participation and teacher competency, focusing on both core and work competencies. The findings indicate consistently positive relationships across all subdomains, including creativity, critical thinking, communication, and career guidance. Notably, the perceived helpfulness of PLCs was more strongly associated with teacher competencies among experienced teachers, suggesting greater within-group variation, while novice teachers reported comparatively smaller gains. These findings underscore the need for differentiated professional development strategies that consider teachers’ career stages.

Author

• Eunji Koh, The Ohio State University