Job Satisfaction: Assessing the Impact of Initiating a Professional Learning
Community at Carney Hill Community School
Liza Arnold
B.Ed., University of Victoria, 1998

Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of
the Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Education

In
Counselling

The University ofNorthem British Columbia
April2009

© Liza Arnold, 2009

UN VERSITV OF NORTHE~r~. ,
BRITISH COLUMBIA
LiBRARY
Prh1C('' G-· ':1if'Oe, BC

Abstract
Working at Carney Hill Community School is emotionally draining and as a result
the school struggles with the retention of its staff members. Recognizing this problem, a
small group of teachers introduced a new structure that would provide a place for staff to
work differently. This different way of working is defined as a professional learning
community (PLC). It is a move from working in isolation to working collaboratively in
an effort to achieve a shared vision and goals (DuFour, 1999). This new structure would
become the vehicle from which the work would be done. As part of that initiative, this
research project was designed: "To assess whether or not being an active participant of
the professional learning community at Carney Hill Community School increased job
satisfaction." In order to determine whether or not the PLC increased job satisfaction, a
mixed methods approach was used which included focus groups, individual interviews,
and a before-and-after survey. The intent of the survey was to corroborate the focus
group and interview findings . The final analysis suggests that although there was a
significant amount of frustration and stress experienced during the initiation of the PLC,
it has improved job satisfaction and increased the retention of those staff members and
administrators who were active PLC participants.

11

Acknowledgement

To the PLC Girls (Ann, Kim & Leah):
Your enthusiasm and willingness to continue to work at initiating a professional learning
community at Carney Hill even when things got tough was key.

To Craig:
Your "stretch and catch" metaphor, and your comfort and confidence in embracing
shared leadership was crucial.

To the PLC Participants:
Thank you for being a part of the "reculturing" of Carney Hill. You are a high
performing team.

To the Review Team (Helen, Ellen, Craig):
Thank you for ensuring "the story" was captured as accurately as possible. Your
knowledge and experience is held in high regard.

To My Committee (Karin and Linda):
Your input has helped me clarify the outcome of this project. I am thankful for having
the opportunity to work with both of you. You have inspired me.

To Bryan:
Thank you for all the time and energy you have put in to helping me complete this
project. I have learned a lot from you and will always remember this experience.

To My Family:
Ryan, you have been so supportive- thank you. Kate and Max, learning really is lifelong. Mom, you are the best "listener" I know. Dad, you work harder than anyone I
know.

lll

Table of Contents
Abstract

II

Acknowledgement

111

Table of Contents

IV

List of Tables

VI

Chapter One: Introduction
Chapter Two : Significance of Issue
Necessity for and importance of the study
Theoretical framework
Statement of the problem
Limitations and delimitations
Definitions of key concepts

4
4

5
5
6
6
8
8

Chapter Three: Literature Review
Introduction
Job satisfaction
Money
Getting the best
Efficacy
Professional development
Intervene early
Doing differently
Autonomy
Ongoing debates
Missing pieces
Important information
Conclusion

8

9

10
11
12
14
14
15
16
16

17

17

Chapter Four: Research Procedures
Introduction
Initiating the PLC
Research design
How was evidence collected?
Work plan
How will the evidence be verified and confirmed?
How has the evidence been interpreted?

IV

18
18
18

20

21
23
23

25

28
28

Chapter Five: Findings
Focus group and individual interview analysis
Survey analysis
Discussion
Experiencing hope
Experiencing frustration
Experiencing stress
Experiencing an increase in job satisfaction
Staff survey
Recommendations

36
39
39
43
46
48
51
52

Chapter Six: Conclusion

55

References

57

Appendices
A Why a PLC at Carney?
B Steering Committee Work Plan
C PowerPoint Presentation
D What to Expect
E Information Sheet
F Informed Consent
G Focus Group and Individual Interview Questions
H Staff Survey
I Project Time Line
J Norms
K Sample Agenda
L T-test

60
61

82

Glossary

85

v

62

65
72
73

76

74
77
79
80
81

List of Tables
Table 1

Staffinterviews: Leveling Template

30

Table 2

Survey Results: Percentage of Change Calculations

38

Vl

Chapter One: Introduction
Working at Carney Hill Community School is not easy. The environment is
emotionally draining and can easily take its toll on those who work there. Students attending
the school have social, emotional, and behaviour needs not typical of the average public
school student. Students struggle with issues related to grief and loss, low self-esteem,
abuse, and the inability to deal with anger. Complicating these issues is the fact that many
students are living in poverty, get an inadequate amount of sleep, lack proper nutrition, and
do not have adequate strategies for coping. These are the realities of teaching the student
population at Carney Hill. Ensuring the staff are satisfied in their roles and feel supported in
the work that they do is a crucial factor that relates directly to teacher retention, student
achievement, and the future success of Carney Hill.
The motivation for this research project began on October 11 at the 2007 Summit:
"Learning by doing - Bringing professional learning communities to life in our schools and
districts." My first impressions of the conference were captured in a journal entry dated
October 18, 2007. Upon arriving at the conference center, we were greeted by literally
thousands of chairs lined row upon row which filled a room so big that large projection

2

screens were required in order for the speakers to be seen by all participants. I sat down,
sunk in my chair, and thought, "this is going to be a long three days: how impersonal and
uninspiring." How wrong I was! Within minutes I was captured by each and every word
spoken. For the next three days I was drained emotionally, physically, and cognitively out of
sheer anticipation for what such a new way of thinking and working could mean for Carney
Hill-- there was hope! It was this very weekend that I made the conscious decision to focus
my research project on professional learning communities (PLC). 1 I did not know which
aspect ofPLC but I knew it would be a PLC, and I knew it would involve Carney Hill.
I was fortunate to have attended the conference with three amazing colleagues. It was
the collective enthusiasm of our group that stood out to me the most. As a group, we decided
that we would become the PLC "steering committee" and do our best to return to school and
attempt to inspire our colleagues to "buy-in" to the movement. In fact, there was one point
during the conference that we were ready to begin the implementation process in the middle
of the night. We even went as far as to share with Becky DuFour our intent to raise Carney
Hill from the bottom of the barrel when it comes to the results of the Foundation Skills
Assessment (FSA). 2 We would do this within three years.
The week following the conference, the four of us met and began to put into place a
plan for sharing our newly acquired passion for implementing a PLC at Carney Hill. The
work, as promised by the DuFours, did not go on without its share of ups and downs. It was
definitely persistence that was needed throughout the year, and I believe it was this
persistence that paid off in the end.

1

A glossary of the project's terminology is located on page 85 .
Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) - a snapshot of students progress in reading, writing, comprehension,
and numeracy.
2

3
It is important to note that the teachers at Carney Hill had attempted to establish a

PLC model the previous year. This model looked significantly different. It involved small
groups of teachers working in similar grades (i.e., two or three teachers) getting together with
administrators. It was described as being administrator driven and lacking a sense of unity.
Professionals often felt pressured to attend and did not feel valued. Although it did not
appear to be well received, the administration was aware of the potential of a PLC. A more
detailed knowledge about PLC was the missing piece. Throughout this paper, the term PLC
will be used when referring to the new way of working, not the structure.
The intent of this project was to assist in the creation of a PLC and: "To assess
whether or not being an active participant of the professional learning community at Carney
Hill Community School increases job satisfaction." This project is the result of what
unfolded throughout the 2007/08 school year at Carney Hill. It is the story of staff members
who are dedicated to improving the learning of students who need it the most. It is
information for others to learn from when considering a model of change. In the end, the
professional learning community contributed significantly to improving job satisfaction at a
school where satisfaction was hard to find.

4

Chapter Two: Significance of Issue
Necessity for and Importance of Study
Carney Hill is a challenging school to work at and has historically had trouble
retaining teachers. In an attempt to improve job satisfaction and improve the retention rate of
teachers, a PLC was created. When asked, "Why a PLC at Carney?" some of the responses
from staff included: to assist with behavioral issues, to share ideas and responsibilities, to
increase communication, and to develop stronger support for each other (Appendix A).
Assessing the impact that the PLC has on job satisfaction at Carney Hill is
imperative. It gives insight into critical issues with which the school struggles. These issues
include: job satisfaction, retention, capacity building, and student achievement. The findings
suggest that being an active participant in a PLC at Carney Hill increases job satisfaction,
suggesting we have obtained information about a "model" for contributing to improved
morale, increased motivation, retention of staff, and most importantly, an increase in student
achievement. This is just the information the school needs. In addition, the findings will be
used to justify and strengthen the rationale for ongoing support (i.e., time and resources) of
the PLC model.

5

Theoretical Framework
The theoretical framework of this project is built on the two theories or systems of
thought put forth by Bandura (1997) and DuFour (2004). Bandura (1997) speaks of the
importance of self-efficacy: " . .. self-efficacy beliefs determine the goals people set for
themselves, how much effort they expend, how long they persevere, and how resilient they
are in the face of failures and setbacks" (p. 4). DuFour (2004) speaks of the importance of
ensuring that teachers belong to a team that focuses on student learning: "Teams must focus
their efforts on cmcial questions related to learning and generate products that reflect that
focus , such as lists of essential outcomes, different kinds of assessment, analyses of student
achievement, and strategies for improving results" (p. 9).
The staffworking at Carney Hill must feel that they are capable of making a
difference in the lives of the students with whom they are working. It is a difficult
environment and much energy is necessary to be able to persevere when the going gets
tough. In order to do this, the staff via the PLC model have given themselves permission to
identify those learning outcomes that are deemed essential to their students. In addition, they
are aligning assessment tools and teaching strategies. Therefore, it is these two theories I feel
are especially fitting.

Statement of the problem
During the first year and a half that I spent at Carney Hill, it became apparent that
morale could use a boost. Student achievement remained low, student behaviour was less
than desirable, and job satisfaction was not stellar. It is of no surprise that attracting and
retaining teachers has historically been and still remains a difficult task. The intent of this
project is to answer the research question: Does participating in the PLC at Carney Hill

6

Community School increase job satisfaction? It is anticipated that the findings will suggest
there is a link-- participating in the PLC does increase job satisfaction.

Limitations and Delimitations
Limitations of the study are those things that cannot be controlled by the researcher
(Mauch & Park, 2003). There are a number oflimitations that may affect this study. These
include:
I . Lack of staff member willingness to participate in the survey (i .e., few respondents)
2. Lack of staff member willingness to complete the survey (i.e., few respondents)
3. Lack of staff member willingness to participate in focus groups (i.e. , few
respondents)
4. Participant attrition (i.e., illness or relocation)
5. Willingness of participants to speak truthfully.
Delimitations of the study are those things that can be controlled by the researcher
(Mauch & Park, 2003). There are also a number of delimitations that may affect this study.
These include:
1. Interview scheduling (i.e., to best meet the needs of participants)

2. Group being studied (i.e., those who participated in PLC)
3. Researcher effects (i.e. , involvement in process).

Definitions of Key Concepts
1. Professional Learning Community: a group of individuals working together to
enhance their ability to achieve their shared vision and goals (DuFour, 1999).
2. Self - efficacy: an impression that one is capable of performing in a certain manner
or attaining certain goals. It is the belief that one has the capabilities and/or the

7
courses of actions required to execute and manage prospective situations
(http :1/en.wiki pcdia.org/wik i/Sclf-efficacv).
3. Collective Efficacy: efficacy beliefs at the collective level refer to judgments that
people make about a social system (family, team, organization, or community) and
about its level of competence and effectiveness in specific domains of action
(Caprara, Barbaranelli, Borgogni & Steca, 2003).

8

Chapter Three: Literature Review
Introduction
This literature review is focused on themes that were identified in sources that speak
to the improvement of teaching and learning. Key words such as "professional learning
communities," "teacher," "job satisfaction," "self-efficacy," and "student learning" were
used. These key words were chosen because they best described the intent of the research,
the individuals involved, and the purpose of the PLC.

Job Satisfaction
A number of factors have been identified as impacting job satisfaction. Some of
those include: working and developing relationships with children, intellectual challenge, and
professional autonomy (Zembylas & Papanastasiou, 2005). Zembylas and Papanastasiou
(2005) go on to identify factors related to job dissatisfaction such as: reduced resources,
moderate pay, and lack of professional autonomy. Csikszentmihalyi (as cited in Bishay,
1996) has proposed that individuals reach a state of happiness and satisfaction when they are
involved in an activity and are functioning at the peak of their abilities. In this situation the
individual experiences 'high levels of concentration, immersion, strength, and control. '

9

Csikszentmihalyi terms this experience 'flow' (as cited in Bishay, 1996, p. 147). Bishay
(1996) uses the idea of "flow" to, "determine which activities are the most 'psychologically
rewarding,' which are more conducive to higher teacher motivation, and which contribute to
the fulfillment of higher-ordered needs (i.e., social relations, esteem and actualization)"
(p.148). Flow may also be applied to measure job satisfaction. "Job satisfaction, in turn is
an index of morale and motivation" (Schonfeld, as cited in Bishay, 1996, p.148). When
teacher motivation is high, student self-esteem is affected: "Teachers with strong positive
attitudes about teaching had students whose self-esteem was high. Students seem to
recognize the effectiveness of teachers who are satisfied with their teaching performance"
(Peck, Fox, and Morston, as cited in Bishay, 1996, p. 147).
Collective efficacy can be developed via a collaborative model such as a PLC and
indirectly increase teacher self-efficacy. Recognizing that higher teacher efficacy is related
to higher student efficacy the PLC model is a mechanism for increasing student success in a
number of ways . Fostering student self-efficacy while improving student achievement
should be at the heart of all schools. That being said, what link exists between student selfefficacy and academic achievement? What link exists between teacher self-efficacy and
effectiveness?
Money

Both Bishay (1996) and McKinsey ("How to be top," 2007) highlight the fact that
money is not a factor when it comes to teacher job satisfaction and effectiveness. According
to McKinsey, "For over 50 years nearly every aspect of education has been altered in order to
try and improve the state of education including increasing education budgets significantly.
No matter which angle is taken or which area is studied, the same results are noted. There is

10
no change" (p. 1). Bishay (1996) concurs that, "pay incentives have been unsuccessful"
(147).
While increasing teacher pay may prove unsuccessful, resources must be available to
support initiatives such as the implementation of a PLC. Resources include money necessary
for time to work collaboratively and for professional development. Resources may also
translate into a willingness to remove a staff member's responsibility in order to take on
another (i.e., one meeting for another). There is only so much time and energy that
individuals have to give and at some point something has to give.
Other findings highlighted by Zembylas and Papanastasiou (2005) link one aspect of
job dissatisfaction to moderate pay. If money, including pay incentives apparently has no
impact on student learning but is linked to job dissatisfaction, what link exists between job
satisfaction and student learning? Moreover, significant monetary investments were made in
Philadelphia to address the shortage of teachers (Useem & Neild, 2005). Some of the areas
in which additional funding was required included: aggressive marketing initiatives, tuition
reimbursement for new teachers pursuing their master's degree, $1000 awards for teachers
who recruit candidates into high-need areas, and hiring bonuses (Useem & Neild, 2005).
Getting the best

Three characteristics of effective schools have been identified by McKinsey ("How to
be top," 2007) which include: hiring the best teachers, getting the best out of the teachers,
and intervening when students lag behind. DuFour's (2004) four guiding questions of a PLC
are these: What is it we want students to learn? How will we know when they have learned?
What will we do when they do not get it? What will we do when they have got it? It is
DuFour's fourth question, "What will we do when they do not get it?" and McKinsey's

11
("How to be top," 2007) description of effective schools intervening when students lag
behind that have a striking resemblance. Both authors note the importance of identifying and
working with those students who require additional assistance.
McKinsey's ("How to be top," 2007) hire the best teachers policy is not always
possible. Nonetheless, if models for improvement are in place, which claim to foster best
practice, then although you may not have the ability to hire the best teachers, you have a
model for getting the best from those you do have. Getting the best out of the teaching staff
in place will improved the attribute that is said to affect student performance more than
anything else - teacher quality ("How to be top," 2007).
John Kotter (as cited in DuFour, 1999, para. 9) also speaks to the importance of
reaching our potential or, in other words, getting the best from our teachers. He stresses the
importance of professional development being embedded in the working day:
Because we spend so many of our waking hours at work, most of our
development takes place - or doesn't take place - on the job. If our
time at work encourages us and helps us to develop, we will
eventually realize our potential. If time at work does little or nothing
to develop our skills, we will never live up to our potential.

Efficacy
The importance of both self-efficacy and collective efficacy on teacher job
satisfaction has been outlined by Caprara, Barbaranelli, Borgogni, and Steca (2003). While
the article reminds us of the significant impact self-efficacy has on job satisfaction and
achievement, it goes on to suggest an even greater link between collective efficacy, job
satisfaction, and achievement. "Collective efficacy reflects the beliefs members of an
organization hold about their capacity to operate in concert and to create the needed
synergies among different roles and expertise to meet adequately the obligations and

12
challenges of the group or organization" (Caprara et al., 2003). Ross and Gray (as cited by
Naylor, 2006) also identify the strength of collective efficacy and collaboration over the
individual when it comes to student achievement: "Unless people believe they can produce
desired outcomes, they have little incentive to pursue ambitious goals and to persevere in the
face of difficulties" (Caprara et al., 2003). When it comes to collective efficacy, beliefs
engender a "sense of mission and purpose of a system, the strength of common commitment
to what it seeks to achieve, how well its members work together to produce results, and the
groups' resiliency in the face of difficulties (Bandura as cited in Caprara et al., 2003).
When it comes to esteem or self-efficacy, the PLC model speaks to the heart of
teachers, " ... teachers want to make a difference in the lives of people" (DuFour, Eaker,
DuFour, & Sparks). Those teachers who are active participants in the PLC model want to
make a difference. Once engaged they will begin to recognize the power of the collective.
In the sources reviewed, there was never any disagreement with respect to the
strength of the collective. What is an essential piece of the collective being effective is the
development of trust among colleagues, and the ability to work together in a respectful
manner even when perspectives differ. Furthermore, professional autonomy is a factor
related to job satisfaction. The question to consider is: can professional autonomy be
protected in a collaborative environment?

Professional Development
Professional development is critical when it comes to the improvement of teaching
and learning. In order to improve student learning and teaching, one must continue to seek
professional development opportunities. Today's society has become so focused on results
that often professional development evolves around the "latest and greatest" and those areas

13
which boast proven results achieved sooner than later. While the value in this cannot be
disputed, Laura Servage (2006/2007) identifies critical reflection as a component essential in
sustaining school improvement. She stresses the importance of tackling what she calls
"foundational questions": "It is one thing to work together to improve teaching strategies for
later literacy; it is another to ask hard questions about why our strategies to date cannot help
Aboriginal students to succeed" (p. 15).
Taking professional development opportunities a step further, both DuFour (1999)
and McKinsey ("How to be top," 2007) explain the importance of staff development being a
part of the regular working day. In some of the top performing schools, McKinsey ("How to
be top,"2007) notes accommodations are made for things such as teachers planning lessons
collaboratively, afternoons set aside for collaboration, and time for those teaching common
subjects to collaborate. "As one educator remarked, 'when a brilliant American teacher
retires, almost all of the lesson plans and practices that she has developed also retire. When a
Japanese teacher retires, she leaves a legacy"' ("How to be top," 2007, p. 82).
When a staff comes together and commits to improving the development of both
teaching and learning using a collaborative model such as a PLC, it does more than address
the issue of the day. The model becomes a structure for ongoing improvement and support in
many areas. It provides a safe and welcoming place for new staff, it becomes a forum for
sharing experiences from which one can learn, it is a place to showcase knowledge, skills,
and abilities otherwise not recognized, and it is collaborative mentoring. It is a place where
as in the case of the retiring Japanese teacher, a legacy can be created and remain.

14
Intervene Early
DuFour (2004) and McKinsey ("How to be top," 2007) recognize the importance of
intervening early when students start to lag behind. DuFour identifies one of the guiding
questions in the PLC as, "How will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in
learning?" He goes on to suggest a number of possible intervention strategies. McKinsey
("How to be top," 2007) describes one of the characteristics of top schools being early
intervention when students start to fail.
If the importance of intervening early and often when students start to struggle is
critical as suggested by DuFour (2004) and McKinsey ("How to be top," 2007), educators
need to put more emphasis on this recommendation and begin to reflect diligently on student
results collaboratively (i.e., via PLC meetings) and individually (i .e. , in the classroom).
Schools need to be more in tune with those students who are not meeting acceptable
standards. Early intervention is essential and strategies and structures for supporting the
students should be available. How do we make this a priority when our time is already
committed? What are we willing to drop in order to deal with what is being identified as
critical?
Doing Differently
"Teacher motivation is based in the freedom to try new ideas, achievement of
appropriate responsibility levels, and intrinsic work elements. True job satisfaction is
derived from the gratification of higher-ordered needs, 'social relations, esteem, and
actualization' rather than lower-order needs" (Sylvia and Hutchinson, as cited in Bishay,
1996, p. 147). The factors that Bishay (1996) highlights regarding job satisfaction can be
achieved through the PLC model. The PLC allows for social relations to be fostered because

15

of its collaborative nature. It allows for the achievement of appropriate responsibility levels
because it fosters shared leadership. It allows for the freedom to try new ideas and generates
new questions: What will we do when they get it? What will we do when they do not?
Moreover, PLC recognizes the power of both self-efficacy and collective efficacy. Ban dura
( 1997) identifies collective efficacy as being even more powerful than the efficacy of the
individual.
What had been happening at Carney Hill was not successful. The PLC with support
from administration is a model for doing things differently. It is a factor not only directly
linked to teacher job satisfaction, but also one that fosters positive change.
Autonomy
It seems that at the heart of many discussions regarding the implementation of a PLC

is a sense of concern around teacher autonomy. Will participating in the PLC mean a loss of
professional autonomy?
"A learning community is, by definition, a group of individuals working together to
enhance their ability to achieve their shared vision and goals" (DuFour, 1999). Although the
framework for a PLC is built on a foundation of collaboration, the model does recognize that
there is a time and a place for individual autonomy. The individual teacher will make
personal decisions as required such as: diverting from lesson plans, re-teaching strategies,
and the teaching of topics that are of particular interest to them personally. However, what it
does suggest is a consensus on what would be described as essential knowledge and skills for
student success (DuFour, 1999). When it comes to identifying what is essential and defining
success one must consider how essential is determined, and how "success" is defined. Is

16

what is deemed essential for one student essential for all students? Is the definition of
success the same for all students?
Ongoing Debates
Connected to the concern regarding autonomy is the concern over whether or not the
PLC should be voluntary or mandatory. The establishment ofPLC's is being toted as "best
practice" which suggests that it is a model that we cannot and should not avoid. At the same
time, with relationships being at the heart of its existence, the choice of whether or not to
make the meetings mandatory has become a touchy subject. How can the value of such a
model be introduced to a profession that for so many years has functioned independently?
When the day is completely filled and the staff are tired, how do we introduce and get "buyin" for yet another initiative that may be perceived a just another "latest and greatest"?
Missing Pieces
In the sources reviewed, the one piece that I felt was missing was a more detailed
summary of what it takes to build a professional learning community. When it comes to
developing a PLC or introducing the very things that are said to improve job satisfaction,
how does this effect staff emotionally, socially, and physically? What about the human
component? The articles talk about hard work, persistence, and dedication but do not
elaborate upon or give much insight into what that means or looks like. The literature makes
it sound easy. I believe it is much more difficult to keep a group of staff members working
together collaboratively and, more importantly, effectively. An increased awareness of the
human side of change needs to be recognized and valued. I have attempted to address that
void with this project.

17

Important Information
From the literature reviewed, a number of findings stood out which included: the
importance of intervening early when students fall behind, the importance of getting the best
out of your teachers, and the benefits of working collaboratively ("How to be top," 2007;
DuFour, 1999; Servage, 2006/2007). In addition, an awareness of those attributes that are
said to contribute to either job satisfaction or dissatisfaction is important. A question
generated is whether there is a link between job satisfaction and student learning?

Conclusion
The literature review suggests that there is an important link between efficacy (i.e.,
self and collective), job satisfaction, and professional learning communities. By increasing
teacher knowledge of working with students in poverty, the work of the professional learning
community will move in the direction required to increase both self-efficacy and collective
efficacy of the staff at Carney Hill. As a result, overall job satisfaction should increase
thereby contributing to the retention of teachers and an increase in student achievement.
A number of factors have been identified as being related to improving the state of
education. Those factors include: job satisfaction, money, getting the best, efficacy,
professional development, intervening early, doing things differently, and autonomy. While
the very thought of being able to address each of these areas can be extremely overwhelming,
Black and William (2001), acknowledge that widespread evidence exists, "that fundamental
educational change can only be achieved slowly - through programmes of professional
development that build on existing good practice" (p. 2). We must be patient but we must
expenence progress.

18

Chapter Four: Research Procedures
Introduction
In order to determine whether or not there was a link between job satisfaction and
being an active participant of the professional learning community at Carney Hill, a
professional learning community needed to be created and staff insight into the impact of
being a part of the PLC was required. This section will discuss in detail the procedure for
determining whether or not participating in a PLC at Carney Hill increased job satisfaction.

Initiating the PLC
The birth of the PLC began with full endorsement from our former principal who
made arrangements for four staff members to attend the PLC conference. Those staff
members who attended the conference were highly motivated by the knowledge that they had
attained and were willing to return to the school and take on the roll of a "steering
committee." They were dedicated to attaining commitment from their colleagues on the
value of initiating a PLC model at the school.

19
The work began in mid-October. In order to create a plan and work effectively, the
steering committee first met with four objectives in mind: (1) Determine what information
would be important to share with the staff; (2) Discuss how best to deliver that information
to the staff; (3) Develop a proposed schedule that would include a weekly PLC meeting;
and (4) Determine how best to speak with current administrators regarding the development
of the PLC at Carney Hill. All four objectives were met that day (Appendix B). As the
steering committee was beginning to get the PLC initiative underway, two other initiatives
were also in the process of being implemented; no recess and an alternate education program.
Because of these initiatives, it was imperative that we were also aware of the needs and
wants of our administrators. There was a lot happening at the school.
With the steering committee feeling energized, positive, and well on their way, they
soon came to realize the reason for DuFour's (2007) emphasis on passion and persistence.
When it came time to meet with the administration, a number of roadblocks surfaced and this
marked the beginning of the need for passion and persistence. The biggest roadblock was
centered on whether or not PLC meetings could be held within the working day. The
steering committee was intent on embedding the PLC within the working day and the
administration was intent on it being voluntary. This difference led to some very difficult
conversations.
Approximately one month later (November) we presented to our colleagues the PLC
initiative. The presentation included: a PowerPoint presentation (Appendix C), a group
activity- Why a PLC at Carney? (Appendix A), the Passion and Persistence video, and a
question and answer period. The presentation was well received with comments such as,

20
"you could take that on the road ... " being made. Our principal was also impressed by the
presentation and complimented us as well.
Now it was time to get the PLC meetings started. The administration did not support
the PLC being embedded in the working day and although not entirely in agreement with this
decision, the steering committee, believing in the value of the model, agreed to participate in
meetings scheduled outside of the working day. This created what was described as "a
division" among staff. Aside from the division that was created, there were a lot of other
things happening at the school. Five staff members were shuffling rooms in order to create
space for the alternate program and the ceasing of recess, which a number of staff strongly
opposed. In the midst of the turmoil and low morale, the PLC steering committee continued
to proceed. A PLC is said to improve morale and we needed a morale boost in a serious
way! This was the beginning of the PLC at Carney Hill.

Research Design
In making the decision as to which research design to use for this project, a number of
steps were taken. With the general focus of the project in mind and an idea of which
methods would be used to gather data, my initial thoughts were that both a case studi
approach as well as action research would be fitting.
In order to choose the most appropriate design, "The Five-Question Method for
Framing a Qualitative Research Study" was used (McCaslin & Scott, 2003). By way of this
procedure, I decided my project would be a case study. I used a mixed methods approach for
gathering evidence. Focus groups, individual interviews, and a before-and-after survey were
completed by participants. The purpose of completing the survey was to corroborate the
3

Case Study - A detailed examination of one setting, or a single subject, a single depository of documents, or a
particular event.

21
focus group findings and to identify additional inf01mation from which the school may
benefit. The questions that were asked in the survey may or may not have been discussed
during the focus groups and individual interviews. Throughout this project I played a
number of roles. I was part ofthe group that initiated the PLC and I was the researcher.
While Bogdan and Biklen (2003) do not recommend studying something you are directly
involved in, they go on to remind us that successful studies have been done this way.
Keeping their warning in mind, I was sure to incorporate some of the recommendations made
by Dan Bachar (2000) to increase the believability of my case study.
"To determine if the case study is believable, the reader needs to determine if
the evidence has been collected in a systematic and thoughtful manner to
ensure that it is both accurate and meaningful. To make that judgment, the
reader- again regardless of how the researcher's evidence was collected and
interpreted- should be able to answer the following three questions":
1. How was evidence collected? What sources of evidence were
employed? What rules of evidence were applied?
2. How will evidence be verified and confirmed?
3. How has the evidence been interpreted, conclusions reached and/or
judgments made? (Bachor, 2000, p. 5)
It is these three questions that I addressed in detail to increase the believability of my study.

How was evidence collected?
The research participants were those staff members who were active participants in
the meetings of the PLC during the 2007/08 school year. On average twelve staff members
attended the meetings on a regular basis. The regular participants consisted of two
administrators, three support teachers, and seven classroom teachers. It was anticipated that
of those twelve, eight to ten would be willing to participate in the study. In the end, all
twelve participants agreed to be a part of the study.
Prior to collecting data, I gave a brief presentation during one of the scheduled PLC
meetings. The presentation focused on sharing my intentions for the research project and

22
outlining what participants could expect should they agree to pmticipate (Appendix D). The
project received approval from the Research Ethics Board and staff members who were
willing to participate in the research were given an information sheet (Appendix E) and asked
to sign an informed consent form (Appendix F). In addition, those who chose to participate
received a $10.00 gift card from either oftwo local coffee shops. Participating in the
research, meant they agreed to take part in a focus group discussion (Appendix G) and to
complete a survey (Appendix H). Following the focus group, participants were treated to a
meal at one of several local restaurants.
Three different measures were used to address the research question: focus group
discussions, individual interviews, and a survey. Two focus group discussions were
scheduled and participants could sign up for the one that best suited their schedule. The
focus groups took place at Carney Hill Elementary. The first focus group consisted of four
participants and the second consisted of six participants. In order to avoid any discomfort
which may have surfaced as a result of interviewing both staff members and administrators
together individual interviews were done at a later date with both the principal and viceprincipal.
The focus group discussions were recorded using a digital audio recorder and an
audio tape was used as a back-up. In addition, notes were also taken during the focus groups.
Following the completion of the focus group discussion, participants were asked to complete
a survey which they could either do right away, or could bring back at a later date. Ten out
of a possible twelve surveys were returned.

23

Work Plan
In order to ensure the project was successful in both the planning and implementation

stage of project development a "Proposed Project Time Line" was developed (Appendix I).
An anticipated completion date of the rough draft was scheduled for the beginning of
August with the final review and completion of the project occurring in December. This
became an overly ambitious time line. While I do believe it was possible, I did not work
efficiently enough as intended throughout the summer months. As a result the rough draft
was completed in February.

How will the evidence be verified and confirmed?
A number of potential sources of error have been recognized as requiring
consideration throughout the duration of this project. With respect to ensuring internal
validity, those that will be of particular interest include: history, selection, group, subject
attrition, maturation, experimenter effects, subject effects, and statistical conclusion.
The process of establishing a professional learning community at Carney Hill began
in October 2007 with four individuals attending the Summit Tree Conference. I was one of
those individuals. The conference instilled in me a sense of responsibility for having to
create a PLC at our school. Carney Hill was in a dismal state of affairs and to me the PLC
meetings would become the framework for "raising the bar" and moving our school forward.
We needed to become a "true" PLC. So I became a part of moving this initiative forward at
our school.
At the same time, I was also in the process of selecting a topic that would become the
research project required for the completion of my MEd degree. It was during the PLC
conference that I decided I would make the PLC at Carney Hill the topic of my research. I

24
did not know which aspect but I did know that two reasons for developing a PLC would be
better than one! This became my personal incentive for committing to establishing the PLC.
We needed to improve student achievement and I needed a research project.
I have always been aware of the intensity of my emotions when I feel passionately
about something. Because I was so passionate about Carney Hill and establishing a PLC, I
knew this would be one of the most difficult factors to control. Experimenter effects,
" ... may be reflected in differential treatment of subjects, such as using a different voice tone,
being more reassuring to one group than to others, reinforcing different behaviors, displaying
different attitudes, selectively observing different subject responses, and any other demeanor
that influences either the subjects' behavior or the evaluation of the behavior by the
researcher" (McMillan & Schumacher, 1997, p. 188). To keep myselfin check, I made a
concerted effort to put myself in the role of an "unbiased reporter" when it came to attaining
and analyzing data.
In addition, the nature of the respondents also had to be considered when it came to
reporting the results. "Ecological external validity refers to the conditions of the research
and the extent to which generalizing the results is limited to similar conditions" (McMillan
and Schumacher, 1997). The effects of this study needed to be considered as a potential
factor affecting its generalizability. Because the sample size used in this study was small,
the findings could not be generalized, but teachers working with students in poverty and
those considering establishing a PLC would benefit from an awareness of the project
findings.
My project focused on assessing the PLC at Carney Hill. Being well aware of my
involvement in its creation, I needed to remind myself continually to look for both positive

25
and negative factors that were discussed during the focus groups and be committed to
reporting faithfully. I was constantly reflecting back and forth between the themes I was
identifying and how I recalled events transpiring throughout the process. Was I identifying
themes that my colleagues would disagree with or did I believe my colleagues would find
them an accurate reflection of the PLC reality? In the end it would be them who would let
me know. Several colleagues reviewed the themes that were identified.

How has the evidence been interpreted?
If there is evidence in conflict with identified patterns, Bach or (2000) and Soy ( 1997)
suggest follow-up interviews be conducted to confirm or correct the initial data. The staff
survey, quantitative in nature, will be used to corroborate the evidence uncovered by the
interviews. The use ofboth a quantitative and qualitative data gathering approach will be
done in order to increase the "believability" of the findings.
Many sophisticated systems exist for interpreting and analyzing data. I familiarized
myself with a number of approaches, but made the decision to use a traditional "cut and
paste"4 approach with the small twist of "cutting" and "pasting" via a word processing
document. I felt that this would give me a firm grasp of the process and allow me to become
more familiar with the data I had obtained. The "cut and paste" approach began once the
transcribing had been completed and themes identified.
Once the focus group discussions had been transcribed, I reviewed the data and pulled
the "general sense" from each and every paragraph. This "general sense" became the initial
list of data codes which numbered seventy-nine. Recognizing that this was far too many
codes, a further attempt to reduce them was made by looking more closely at similar themes.
4

"Cutting and Pasting" via a word document allows the writer to select data by highlighting it and then using
the "cut" function under the edit toolbar, the data can be moved to a more appropriate location in the document
using "paste" also found under the edit toolbar.

26
This resulted in a furth er reduction of codes to thirteen. Three additional themes were given
so little attention that they were not included in the discussion.
The thirteen groupings then became the "sub-codes" and an attempt was made to
create a title for the "major code" that would best capture the meaning behind the sub-codes.
Once this was completed, I reviewed the list of recommendations to determine whether or
not the recommendations would fit appropriately under the major code.
Dey (as cited by Ryan and Bernard, 2003) noted, "there is no single set of categories
[themes] waiting to be discovered. There are as many ways of 'seeing ' the data as one can
invent" (p. 103). Therefore, a second attempt at uncovering themes was done in order to
identify the ones that I felt would be most appropriate to report. This process involved once
again using a cut and paste technique. The transcriptions were copied into a "read only" 5
document and then using "outline" under the "format" bar each paragraph was given a
number to ensure that it could be found easily in the original data. The same general sense
codes were used to identify the meaning behind each and every paragraph. The paragraphs
were then sorted using the cut & paste function of the word processor. At times multiple
meanings were found in individual paragraphs. When this occurred the paragraph was
placed under multiple headings. For example, if the research participant spoke about
administration, embedding PLC, and a teacher-led process all in one paragraph that
paragraph was placed under three separate headings (i.e., administration, embedding PLC,
and teacher led). I felt that the second attempt resulted in a more succinct summary of the
findings without compromising the quality of the results; therefore, I created a leveling

5

By saving a word document as "read only," any changes done after prompts the writer to "save as" which
creates an additional document thereby protecting the original from any unwanted changes.

27
template based on the second attempt at uncovering potential themes (Table 1). The themes
that stood out the most during the initiation of the PLC at Carney Hill were uncovered.
I requested that three colleagues who had pmticipated in the focus group discussions
and individual interviews review the leveling template that had been created. One colleague
stressed that she felt it was very important to emphasize the level of dedication by the four
"core people" who continued to persevere when things were becoming very difficult at the
school. This point has been highlighted in the findings. Another colleague shared feelings
about the importance of recognizing that previous attempts at creating a PLC at Carney Hill
had been made. This too has been included in the final report.
Bach or (2000) identifies one of the dilemmas in reading a case study as not knowing
how evidence was selected for inclusion in the rep01t. The themes that were chosen to be
included in the final report were selected based on the amount of attention they were given
during the focus groups and interviews. Although specific "ratios" were not identified,
quotes that best illustrate the reported theme were selected for inclusion (Bachor, 2000). I
felt this approach was most fitting for the research project.
In addition to the focus group and individual interviews, participants completed a

before-and-after survey that asked them to assess the impact of participating in a PLC at
Carney Hill. They were asked to reflect upon their experience at the school before the PLC
was initiated and then their experience after the PLC was initiated so they could answer 21
questions that compared specific aspects of job satisfaction before and after the PLC was
initiated and functioning at the school. These questions were organized to assess five
different themes of job satisfaction: (1) vision, (2) collaboration/communication, (3)
professional development, (4) job satisfaction, and ( 5) retention.

28

Chapter Five: Findings
Focus Group and Individual Interview Analysis

The results of the focus group and individual interviews were combined and
transcribed for an inductive qualitative analysis to identify the major codes and principal
themes of the interview transcripts. Specifically, audio recordings of the focus group and
individual interviews were transcribed as text files for subsequent analysis. With the aid of a
text editor, the transcript statements were linked with their speakers, tagged with their
transcript locations, sorted into categories, and coded with category and category-level
symbols. The initial categories for the analysis were the focal points of the group discussion
that were noted during the interviews and verified by the participants. The descriptions of
these categories were then compared with the transcript and edited to reflect the statements
made during the focus group and individual interviews. The next stage of the analysis was an
examination of the statements in each category and then specification of sub-categories
which reflected the unique aspects of each category. The final part of the analysis was a
cross-category and then cross-question examination of the transcript statements, subcategories, and categories to determine the minor themes associated with individual questions

29
and then the major themes that represent the interview results as a whole. The results of this
analysis were recorded in a leveling template that is presented as Table 1.
This inductive analysis indicated that the initiation of a PLC at Carney Hill impacted
the school in many different ways when analyzed in detail tended to represent experiences
that focused upon one of four major themes. Specifically, these themes are as follows: (1)
the experience of hope, (2) the experience of frustration, (3) the experience of stress, and (4)
the experience of improved job satisfaction. The themes have been numbered from one to
four and ordered from highest to lowest respectively, based on the number of comments
made in relation to each theme. As the results in Table 1 indicate, the experience of "hope"
stood out as the number one theme for the research participants with the experiences of
"frustration" and "stress" being second and third, and, perhaps surprisingly, the experience of
"an increase in job satisfaction" being expressed sufficiently that it constituted the fourth and
final major theme.

30

Table 1
Staff Interviews: Leveling Template
2

1
HOPE

1

The formation of the
PLC at Carney Hill
i nstilled a sense of
hope among staff
that improvements
could be made with
respect to student
learning and job
satisfaction.

1.1

3

An attitude of "stretch
and catch "was
adopted by the staff.
That is permission to
think and do differently
with a safety net. "If it
doesn't work we'll pick
you up and try again."

Believing that things
at Carney Hill
School can improve.

Being given
administrative
permission to "think
differently"

1.1.1

1.1 .2

1.1 .3

1.2

Definitions/
Notes

The PLC model is the
mechanism in place
to support and fos ter
change.
1.2.1

1.2.2

1.2.3

Staff was excited about
being part of a team that
had the potential to
"make a difference."
Recognizing that results
had/have been flat and
that something must
change.
Because of the freedom
to think and do
diffe rently, others will
want to join.

Establishing a
professional learn ing
community

Those who attend the
PLC meetings are a part
of a high performing
team .
As a member of the
team , you are committed
to moving from working
in isolation to a
collaborative model
with the common goal of
improvement in student
learning.

Define- high
performing team

The general feeling at
the meetings was that of
staff presenting a
positive attitude - "if
something isn't working,
what can we do to
improve it?"

Note importance of
norms in developing
the tone for how
staff interacted
during meetings.
(Non-defeatist
attitud e}

31

3

2

1

1.3

The PLC model
allowed us to create a
vision which would
move us from where
we were to where we
were going . The staff
could envision a "new
picture." (potential)

1.3.1

1.3.2

1.3.3

1.3.4

1.3. 5

FRUSTRATION

2

The development of
the PLC model
fostered not only
excitement. It also
fuelled a significant
amount of
frustration among
staff.

For a number of years
the results in student
learning have been
flat.
Staff members
together created a
plan and a vision for
Carney Hill. The buy
in and commitment is
high .
Should the model in
practice be as
su ccessful as is
appears in theory, it
has the potential to
attract teachers and
become a place
where educators
want to be.
While optimism in the
school setting is high
(i.e. hope), there is a
sense of
"hopelessness" with
respect to the impact
staff can have outside
of the school.
Being only in the initial
phase of establishing
a PLC, its affect on
student achievement
to date cannot be
confirmed. However,
staff is optimistic that
they will in fact see
improvements as a
result of the model.

Definitions/
Notes

Closing the gap
between what we
wanted and what we
had - define using
Glasser's Reality
therapy model.

Highlight sources
which speak directly
to Carney and to
Carney in the
province.

Highlight the
discussions around
retaining and having
the potential to
retain .

How daunting the
thought of affecting
change outside the
school is. Refer to
"hope and
hopelessness"
continuum as per
Counselling Practice
reading.
Speak to the
research findings of
the model. The very
reason PLC is being
promoted is due to
the significant
improvements being
made in student
learning.

A number of issues
at school that could
have contributed to
the frustration aside
from PLC. That is
alternate program,
staff interpersonal
issues , new
administration,
embedding of PLC
etc.

32

3

2

1

2 .1

The relationship that
existed between staff
and administration
needed to be
redefined . A model of
"shared leadership"
evolved .

2.1.2

2.1.3

2.1.4

2.1.5

2.2

Staff felt frustrated by
what appeared by
some to be a Jack of
"action". They
wanted to know,
"What have we
accomplished?"

Be cause
administrators come
and go, how do staff
members work
comfortably with a
three to five year
model for
improvement?
Some staff members
were concerned about
whether or not it was
safe to share their
"true" thoughts and
feelings .
The very move to
feeling comfortable
about putting selves
out there despite the
"power" differential.
Staff felt that the
direction of a number
of the meetings was
changed
inappropriately by
administration .

Definitions/
Notes

Difficult shift in way
of thinking and
working together administration and
staff

Concern regarding
how we protect what
we are creating .

Can I put myself out
there without my
contributions being
detrimental to my
career?
Collaborative
Leadership, making
accommodations (p.
54) - recognizing
power differences
Including
redundancy (i.e.
learning focused
meetings)
Feeling of moving
forwardaccomplishing
something .

2.2.1

2.2.2

Staff felt that knowing
where they were
heading would be
helpful (i.e. identifying
a
beginning/middle/end)
Not all staff felt there
was a Jack of action. It
was defined differently
by some.

Wanting to see what
is achieved

I.e. Good/great
progress in having
developed a working
model.

33

3

2

1

2.2.3

2.2.4

2.3

There was some
uncertainty about
the process as only 4
out of the regular 12
participants attending
the workshop on
PLC's.

2.3.1

2.3.2

2.3.3

Staff felt that a number
of the meetings did
not always pertain to
everyone. In order to
keep everyone
engaged , "How this
could be avoided?"
Although frustrated at
times, staff did
recognize that the
PLC model was being
developed.

I.e. Focus of first
year - parameters,
norms
Uncertainty about
process

PLC needs to be
better defined and
perhaps periodically
throughout its
development.
Clarification about
why we are doing
what we are doing
wou ld have been
beneficial to some.
Clarification about
what each person's
role is would be
beneficial to some.

The pressure and
tension resulting
from change

STRESS

3

Definitions/
Notes

Undergoing such a
significant change
process at the
school proved to be
very stressful for
many participants .
3.1

Causing a division of
staff

A clear division
among staff was
noted .

3.1.1

3.1.2

Deciding whether or
not to "embed" the
PLC time in the
working day was felt to
be the number one
cause of a lot of the
stress and the
division.
Although the division
was apparent, it was
felt that because the
staff worked through it,
it would make them
stronger in the
upcoming yea r and, it
was something that
they could not avoid .

Scheduling meeting
during the working
day

34

2

1

3

3.1.3

3.1.4

3.2

Staff identified the
process to that of a
"roller coaster". It had
its ups and its downs .

Working through the
stress and dealing
with the division
iden tified those that
were committed to
the process and "on
board ."
A number of other
signifi cant changes
were taking place at
the school that year
(i .e. alt. program , new
administrators, room
changes etc.)

Frustration and
excitement wrapped
into one.
3.2.1

Frustration and
Excitement
Baby Steps

3.2.2

Developing
something
new/patience

Contributing to a
better experience

JOB
SATISFACTION

4

Definitions/
Notes

A number of
different factors
about the PLC
model contributed to
i ncr easing job
satisfaction on a
whole.
4.1

The PLC was seen as
contributing to the
retention of teachers.

Keeping staff at the
school

4.1 .1

4 .1.2

4 .1.3

PLC was not
necessarily keeping
staff here but, it was
one aspect of their job
that made them
happy to be at
Carney.
PLC for some was the
reason they were
staying at Carney.
Relationships were
being strengthened
among colleagues
because of the PLC
model and these
improved relationships
were keeping people
satisfied with their
jobs.

Some sad to go.
Several had a
"better year."

Clear cut retention
as stated by several
research
participants.

35

2

1

3

4.1.4

4.2

Staff enjoys and
appreciates the
opportunity to work
collaboratively with
colleagues . They
recognize the value of
aligning their practice
for the greater good of
the students who
attend Carney.

Aligning practice common language.

4.2. 1

4.3

The PLC model allows
staff to share their
experiences both in
and outside the
classroom wh ich helps
to normalize their
experiences at the
school. This is
identified as
contributing to self
efficacy.

Definitions/
Notes

Being given the
opportunity to be
active participants in
iden tifying the
direction the school
goes is rewarding

4.2.2

The staff recognizes
the dedication of
their colleagues and
indicates that the
dedication is a
personal motivator.

4.3.1

Staff enjoy being able
to hear the different
perspecti ves from
their colleagues and
reflect on the
discussions which
take place.

The PLC model
provides a place
where staff is "given a
voice." In addition , it
fosters accountability
among colleagues .

4.3.2

4.3.3

Participating in the
PLC meant that staff
needed to trust one
another and feel safe
voicing the ir opinions.
The model was
viewed as a
increasing the
confidence of many.

I.e. Being a
reflective
practitioner.

It "empowered" staff
-stated expl icitly by
staff as well as
viewed by other
participants.

36
Survey Analysis
At the conclusion of the study, 10 of its 12 pmticipants completed a job satisfaction
survey that measured the impact of participating in a PLC at Carney Hill. Each participant
answered 21 questions that compared specific aspects of job satisfaction before and after the
PLC was initiated and functioning at the school. The format of each question included a
statement that represented a positive attribute of job satisfaction; for example, "Staff
members work together to solve problems related to school issues." For each question, the
participant was asked to choose and checkmark one of the the following six categories: (1)
"No basis to judge," (2) "Don't agree at all," (3) "Agree slightly," (4) "Agree moderately,"
(5) "Agree mostly," and (6) "Agree completely." The 21 questions were organized and then
ordered to assess five themes of job satisfaction: (1) vision, (2) collaboration/communication,
(3) professional development, (4) job satisfaction, and (5) retention. A copy of this survey
protocol that includes the response frequencies for the 10 participants is presented as
Appendix H.
To determine the results of the survey, the frequency scores were totalled for both the
"before" and "after" ratings for each question. This was followed by the calculation of the
percentage of change between the two rating totals and the determination of the direction of
the change. The results of this frequency analysis are presented in Table 2. Those results
indicate that a positive change occurred for every one of the 21 questions included in the job
satisfaction survey. The values of the increases for the individual questions ranged from 11 to
48 percent and had a mean value of35.76.
In addition to the analysis of the results for individual survey questions, the mean
scores for the question/s included within each of the five major themes were calculated and

37
then used.to determine the mean percentage of change for each theme. Again, these results
indicate that a positive change occurred for each of the five themes. The magnitude of those
changes ranged from a low of 30 to 4 7 percent. A t-test was calculated for the changes that
occurred for each of the five themes (see Appendix L). None of the results ofthese tests was
statistically significant, but these results would certainly have been influenced by the small
size of this sample.

38

Table 2
Survey Results: Percentage of Change Calculation
Vision
1 The school has a clear sense of purpose.
2 I have a clear understanding of what the school is tryinQ to achieve.
3 The staff shares a common understandinQ of what the school wants to achieve.
4 All staff are committed to achieving the school's goals .
5 The staff keeps the school's goals in mind when making important decisions .
6. The school's primary emphasis is improving student learning.

Pre
Item
Score

Post
Item
Score

31
31
27
32
31
38

44
42
40
46
47
51

Mean % Change

Collaboration/Communication
1 The school uses a system to obtain a variety of perspectives when makinQ a decision.
2 Teachers discuss teaching on a regular basis .
3 Staff members work together to solve problems related to school issues .
4 The staff works in teams across wade levels to help increase student learning .
5 Staff routinely work together to plan what will be taught.
6 Teachers have frequent communication with the families of their students .
7 Staff members trust one another.

Pre
Item
Score

Post
Item
Score

30
29
32
30
27
27
31

43
43
47
40
33
30
40

Mean % Change

Professional Development
1 Assessment results are used to determine professional learning activities.
2 Staff members get help in the areas they need to improve .
3 Professional development activities are consistent with school Qoals.
4 I have enough opportunities to grow professionally.
5 Different staff members periodically lead professional development activities for staff.
6 Instructional staff views themselves as learners as we ll as tea chers.

Pre
Item
Score

30
28
32
39
28
40

Post
Item
Score

39
39
41
47
39
53

Mean % Change

Job Satisfaction
1 Working collaboratively with my colleagues increases my job satisfaction.

Pre
Item
Score

Post
Item
Score

40

52

Mean % Change

Retention
1 Working collaboratively with my colleagues increases my interest in continuing to work
at Carney.

Pre
Item
Score

Post
Item
Score

36

53

Mean % ChanQe

%of
Change

42
35
48
44
52
34
42

%of
Change

43
48
47
33
18
11
29
34

%of
Change

30
39
28
21
39
33
31

%of
Change

30
30

%of
Change

47
47

39

Discussion
For the duration of the discussion, the term "staff members" will be used to
encompass classroom teachers, learning assistants, English as a second language teachers,
counsellors, and Strong Start teachers . The term "administrators" will be used when
speaking about the Principal and Vice-Principal.

Experiencing Hope
The PLC has definitely given participants a sense of hope. To summarize: "Together
we can make a difference and the PLC is the vehicle which allows us to come together as a
team and affect that difference."
Stephenson (as cited by Larsen et al. , 1991) defines hope as, " a process of
anticipation that involves the interaction of thinking, acting, feeling, and relating, and is
directed toward a future fulfillment that is personally meaningful" (p. 402). The PLC at
Carney Hill has given new hope to the staff members and to the administrators at Carney
Hill. It has been described as a "vehicle" for positive change, one that has the potential to
improve the learning and working environment at the school.
What was particularly timely in terms of initiating the PLC at Carney Hill was the
arrival of a new principal who made it clear to staff members that they had permission to
"think differently." This way of thinking was appropriately titled, "Stretch and Catch" and
was defined as, "being given permission to think differently and do differently with a safety
net. If things don't work out as intended, we'll pick you up and try again" (C. Brennan,
personal communication, August 2008). As one staff member commented: "That really
excited me. If we are going to be doing new and different things, I want to be a part of that
team."

40
In my opinion, that permission fostered much of the PLC success that would

eventually be seen. When taking the risk to develop a new culture, a new way of interacting
and working together, permission from your administrators to make mistakes is critical. It
seemed that because of the will of the group to do things differently and because staffhad
permission to do that with a safety net, this meant that Carney Hill was potentially positioned
to see its greatest amount of movement in a very long time. Everything was falling into
place.
Participants in the PLC recognized the fact that results in student learning were
flat and that the working environment needed to be improved in order to retain and
attract teachers. One staff member stated: "What we have been doing has not been
enough, not been effective, and not been right. I believe we are now developing a
sound and coherent plan to improve student learning." Participants viewed the PLC as:
"One of the greatest mechanisms in place in the school for positive change."
A high performing team is defined as a team, organization, or group that is
highly focused on goals. Some characteristics of these high performance teams as
described by Traut (n.d.) include: participative leadership, responsive, aligned on
purpose, communicative, task focused, problem solving, shared responsibility and
innovative. The PLC became the vehicle for creating a high performing team at Carney
Hill.
One of the first tasks of the PLC was to develop a set of norms. The norms
would become the guidelines to which that group would be held accountable
individually and collectively (Appendix J). The agenda for the meetings followed a
regular format (Appendix K), but it was the norms that were created by the group that

41
were instrumental in establishing meetings that run smoothly and productively. In
particular three of the six norms stand out. Those norms include time, listening, and
expectations. The meeting will begin and end on time (1:45-2:45 p.m.), we will
encourage a list of speakers, and we will move problems to solutions. The group did an
exceptional job of committing to the norms .
DuFour et al. (2007) described making progress as a PLC when: " . .. we move
from a language of complaint to a language of commitment, from a language of 'they'
to a language of 'we' and, from focusing on what we can't stand to what we stand for"
(p. 74). Those involved in the PLC at Carney Hill did just that. Although there were
numerous ups and downs and a number of roadblocks experienced throughout the year,
the PLC meetings were seen by participants as having a "positive outlook." The
participants took on a non-defeatist attitude, and, as summarized by one participant,
they experienced a shift: "This isn't working so .. . what are we going to do about
that?" It truly did become a move from "What we can't stand . .. to what we stand for"
as intended by the DuFours .
In order to develop a vision for the school, the group began to create a new

picture of how they wanted Carney Hill to look. This process was done using aspects
taken from Glasser's Reality Therapy Model. When the picture one has in mind of how
things should be does not match what is happening in reality, there is an experience of
dissatisfaction. It was important for the group to develop collectively a vision for the
school in order to get everyone not only on the same page but also to know where they
are heading. The group needed to begin closing the gap between what they envisioned
and what was happening at Carney Hill. In order to improve satisfaction, there must be

42
movement towards the vision. One participant noted: "I see the picture and I know it is
going to be awesome. That's why I keep coming. I really, really want that."
As a group, PLC participants created a new vision for Carney Hill and believe
that should things go as envisioned, Carney Hill would become: "A place where
educators want to be." This sentiment was captured in the following comment:
"Despite all the turmoil we go through with the students and with the community and
how exhausting it is, my hope is that this model will be so successful and so rewarding
that people will want to stay."
While the sense of hope was clearly heard, there was also concern for what can
be described as a sense of hopelessness regarding issues that some participants felt
were outside of their control. For example, the absentee rate is quite high at the school
resulting is lost classroom time for students which means that they are missing
important instruction. Other issues such as violence in the home and the use of drugs
and alcohol by caregivers are also a big concern to the teaching staff. Many of the
students social needs are not being met which means they do not come to school ready
to learn at the same pace as most children. Their social needs must be addressed first.
With student learning at the heart of all schools, student achievement is first and
foremost on everyone's mind. When it comes to the hope of narrowing the
achievement gap for students at Carney Hill, it was felt by the participants in this
research project that we are too early in the process to be able to report with confidence
an increase in student learning. Nonetheless, participants were very optimistic about
the potential for improved student learning, which is the sole reason for developing
such a culture as that defined by a PLC. In addition, this particular study was not

43
intended to focus on student learning. Detennining how the PLC has affected student
learning would be an additional research endeavour.

Experiencing Frustration
While an obvious sense of hope was present in the school, there was also an
undertone of frustration. The frustration that developed in the school was due to a
number of different issues.
The change from staffworking in isolation to working collaboratively as one
large group had never been done before. Moreover, staff members were now
collaborating with their administrators. A model of "shared leadership" had evolved
which in and of itself was the cause of much frustration because it called for the
relationship between staff members and administrators to be redefined.
Concern was raised over whether or not it was safe for individuals to share their
true opinions. As one participant said: "There are people who are threatened because
they are your bosses. If you really disagree, people might not be as forthcoming about
saying what they really think." While this fear was recognized, the participants also
noted the need for both staff members and administrators to make accommodations
when working together. For example, one staff member noted: " ... there will be
restrictions on our power (staff members) and things that we will probably have to just
accept but, they (administrators) are going to have to make accommodations as well.
So it will be interesting."
Those who were active participants in the PLC valued working together as a
group (i.e., staff members and administrators). The staff members, as highlighted on
numerous occasions, felt strongly that in order for the PLC to be successful, it must not

44
be a "top down" endeavor. The participants must be viewed as equals and it must be a
safe place for participants to share their opinions: "They need to step out of that
administrative role for that hour and be equal - you have to be equal."
The subject of the PLC meetings also became a cause of frustration. Not only
did participants feel that the discussions had at times been redirected by the
administrators, but also there was a lot of frustration about "redundancy." A separate
"learning focused" staff meeting took place once a month. This meeting resulted in an
increasingly frustrated staff because the focus of that meeting would often mirror that
of the PLC agenda. The intention of such a meeting was to acknowledge that not all
staff attended the PLC. Unfortunately because the vast majority of the staff did attend
both the PLC and the learning focused meeting, frustration was experienced because
the topics were often viewed as a repeat of what was discussed at the PLC meeting. As
a result, staff recognized that the PLC could be further improved by sticking to the
agenda as outlined and by reducing redundancy. It was felt that the learning focused
staff meeting would not be necessary if the PLC became a mandatory meeting for all
staff.
Another frustration experienced at Carney Hill is what can appropriately be
defined as a revolving door for administrators. In the last six years, the school has seen
seven new administrators in the building. In light of creating a PLC at the school, there
is a sense of fear among staff as to whether or not what has been created can be
maintained should a new administrator be appointed. As one participant noted: " ... it
really does fall on the administrator at the school because a lot of administrators are
more than happy to grant you that professional autonomy. They trust that as a staff you

45
will do the right thing and then you have some that come in and say, 'no I am
responsible - I need to ensure' and it can be a completely different PLC." It is this fear
that is driving the sense of urgency for the process to be teacher driven.
Fmstration was also felt by some to what was deemed, "lack of action." A
number of participants were looking for concrete accomplishments . They felt that there
was too much "fluff' talk and that the meetings at times felt open ended. This sense of
lack of action was best captured by this statement, " .. . I felt it was very incomplete. I
want a goal- work on it - end! (Then) . . . we all know it has ended and we have come
up with something concrete." Participants wanted to know what they had
accomplished.
At the same time, an important point was raised by one participant:
"I agree and I think as painful as it was to have to go through being stuck in
the quagmire a lot of the time, I think that it is sort of like an "aha"
moment. If I tell you something it is not nearly as effective as if I discover
it on my own. It became powerful once we got it. If we hadn't done that I
don 't think it would have been as powerful as it is right now."
Although some were fmstrated by what felt like a lack of action, others felt that
progress had been made. This conclusion was best captured by the following
statement:
"I think a lot of this year was getting a feel for what it looked like, what the
mles are, what the cultural parameters are that are going to define the way
people work in the group and then, I think next year there is going to be a
lot of focus on action."
Fmstration also resulted from uncertainty about the process. Four of the twelve
participants attended the initial PLC conference. This meant that the majority of
participants were entmsting their colleagues to guide them in the process of initiating a
PLC. Some of the concerns that surfaced were the need to define PLC more precisely,

46
to clarify why the group is doing what it is doing, and define each person's role in the
PLC. In addition, there were times where some of the participants felt that the topics
being discussed did not pertain to them. "There were lots of things that didn't apply to
me as well. There were times that I really had to push myself to come the following
week .. .. " While a number of days were set aside to familiarize staff with a PLC,
several of the participants would have appreciated additional knowledge.
It is important to note that at the same time that the PLC was being initiated
other significant changes took place: a change in administration, the removal of recess,
and the creation of an alternate program These changes were putting immense
pressure on the staff, which contributed significantly to the experiences ofboth
frustration and stress.

Experiencing Stress
Implementing a PLC at Carney Hill was not easy. The process could accurately
be described as very stressful. It was further described as creating "personal angst" and
being a "painful" process.
One of the first roadblocks experienced was making the decision to embed or
not embed the meeting time in the working day. This decision became very
controversial as two schools of thought emerged. One favoured scheduling the
meetings outside of working hours to ensure that those who attended were dedicated to
the process; the other favoured scheduling the meetings within the working day so that
participants would not have to "volunteer" their time to attend. The administrators felt
strongly that embedding the time would run the risk of individuals participating who
really did not want to be there and possibly sabotaging the process. In the end, the

47
decision to hold the meetings outside of the working day was made. This was viewed
by many as the number one cause of what became termed "a division among staff."
Yet, it was noted by several participants that: " ... having worked through the division
has made the team that will be here next year that much stronger because the members
of the team will have all said 'yes' I want to be a part of it (PLC)."
The initiation of the PLC at Carney can be best described as "a rollercoaster."
While it was definitely a stressful time for those working at the school, it is important
to keep in mind the other changes taking place at the school as noted above . As one
participant said: " ... the background politics that was going on in the school created a
lot of distraction and noise." There were many ups and downs. From one moment to
the next, participants fluctuated between hope and excitement, frustration and stress. It
was a balancing act; it required an awareness of how people were feeling in order to
keep them on board with the process.
Being able to cope with the frustration and stress that was experienced
throughout the year was not easy. One staff member identified the dedication of the
"founders" as significantly contributing to the success of the PLC implementation.
"I really commend the four core people for ensuring that they got us
through the difficult times and were not going to allow things to defeat
them . Their passion and vision was so strong that I felt they pulled me
through times that I could have easily said 'it's not going to work here'."
This sentiment was echoed by a number of staff members.
The importance of persistence in the process is noted by DuFour (2004): "The
rise or fall of the professional learning community concept depends not on the merits of
the concept itself, but on the most important element in the improvement of any school
- the commitment and persistence of the educators within it." The staff at Carney Hill

48

needed to persist. When it came to believing in the process, the team was motivated by
recognizing that at any given time someone remained hopeful and had not given up.
"When you start to lose hope and you see all those around you that have not abandoned
it you think okay, 'I'll proceed with you'." "At times it was tough but I wasn't going to
quit if you guys weren't going to quit. "
When it comes to trying to establish such a significant change in culture such as
initiating a PLC at Carney Hill, it is imperative that there is at the very least a core of
dedicated staff. The core must be optimistic and when the going gets tough they must
get going! In addition, a relationship with the administration that takes the stance of
moving from, "a language of complaint to a language of commitment" needs to develop
(Dufour et al., 2007 , p.74). A model of shared leadership must evolve.
In summary, the PLC has opened the door to conversations and action geared
toward improving both student learning and job satisfaction. The group who became
active participants in the PLC made crucial steps toward change at the school. "It's
taught me that when I have a goal I have to be patient and keep working towards that
goal, and work towards that goal with other like minded people" said one participant.
Experiencing an Increase in Job Satisfaction
PLC was identified by participants as improving their job satisfaction in a
number of ways. For some, the PLC was the reason that they made the decision to
remain at the school. For others, it may not be keeping them at the school but it was a
part of their job that was making them happy to be working at Carney Hill. "Having
PLC makes teaching here a richer experience. At another school my job might be

49
similar but if they don't have a PLC, I will be missing that collaborative reflection on
practice."
Carney Hill has historically been described as a difficult school at which to
work. The PLC model allows staff to share their experiences both inside and outside of
the classroom, thereby normalizing the experience of working at the school. The
opportunity to do this is important. This thinking was captured by one participant who
made the link to an increase in self-efficacy: "I think the important part of self-efficacy
is feeling that you are in an endeavor with someone else who is going through the same
thing. The responses heard during the check-in and check-out really gives you the
sense that you are accomplishing something."
Not only does the PLC tend to normalize the experience, but also it eases the
transition to working at the school. One participant new to the school shared: "My
learning curve would have been huge no matter what, but PLC provided me with
support over and above what I already felt from the staff. It helped me to understand
the school and develop a vision much faster that I could have without it." When
working in a potentially stressful setting or field one participant said: "PLC allows
staff to meet, to grow, to share, and to support each other which is very important."
Simply having the opportunity to connect with colleagues was one aspect
related to improving job satisfaction: "I really enjoyed meeting with colleagues and
sharing ideas - just getting together." This feeling was reiterated throughout the focus
groups. One participant summed it up nicely: "There is a lot of potential in a system
which fosters the feeling of going to work knowing that you are part of a community
and that you are an important part and you are valued by other people."

50

The PLC participants at Carney Hill embraced the collaborative nature of the
model and as a collective are moving towards alignment of practice. They recognize
the unique make up of the students they are working with and realize that coupled with
a strong relationship, the alignment of practice will narrow the achievement gap that
their students are currently experiencing. The staff is focused on developing a common
language and they are being given the opportunity to step outside of their classrooms
and contribute to a larger group.
Not only did the PLC become the vehicle for change, but also it was an avenue
for voices to be heard . The ability to move from keeping what you were thinking to
yourself to having the courage to voice an opinion or make a recommendation in an
honest and respectful way proved to be a big learning curve. A number of participants
felt that this was an area that still required work. At times it was felt that: "People
were listening and thinking one thing but not saying it." One participant commented on
the fact that many times a number of us would be feeling the same way regarding a
particular issue but not discuss it openly at the PLC. Rather the discussion would occur
outside of the PLC. "It's like we needed to know that everybody else is on the same
page too. Then we go back and voice how we truly feel." Although this remains an
area to continue to work on, participants for the most part felt safe and empowered by
the process. "It has opened up that avenue for dialogue and I can hear what others are
thinking about what is going on at the school. There is no right or wrong it is just
opinions. So whether they are agreeing or disagreeing, it is a wonderful safe
environment in which to share those thoughts."

51
The PLC at Carney Hill has also increased confidence. Participants feel
empowered. "I am more confident about my teaching this year and I really attribute a
lot of that to PLC. Walking into a meeting and finding out that somebody that I admire
has the same ideas is powerful. "
Four significantly different themes emerged from the data analysis. The themes
ranged from experiencing frustration to experiencing hope, and from experiencing
stress to experiencing an increase in job satisfaction. While these themes are a true
reflection of the ups and downs of the PLC, what cannot be argued is the value of such
an initiative. The staff at Carney Hill committed to continuing the PLC in the 2008/09
school year and of the twelve participants who were a part of the initial PLC, nine
remain active participants. Three of the initial PLC group no longer work at Carney
Hill for reasons not related to job dissatisfaction.

Staff Survey
In addition to the focus groups, a survey was also completed by staff members
and administrators. The survey covered five areas that were related to the development
of a professional learning community. Those fi ve areas included; vision,
collaboration/communication, professional development, job satisfaction, and retention.
Two methods of analysis were employed for the survey. The first analysis was
at-test (Appendix L) and the second analysis was a calculation of the percentage of
change (Table 2). As predicted prior to undertaking the research project, no statistical
significance was identified in any of the five areas by the t-tests because the number of
participants was simply too small (i.e., sample size of 10). However, when the
percentage of change calculation was done on the survey themes, the change in

52

percentage ranged from 30 to 47. For those participating in the PLC at Carney Hill this
change, although not statistically significant, says a lot. The greatest change was seen
in "retention" which increased by 47%. Then came "vision" increasing by 42%,
"collaboration/communication" increased by 34%, "professional development"
increased by 31% and "job satisfaction" increased by 30%.
In all the areas that were surveyed, a substantial percentage of change occurred.
Of particular importance in this study are the areas of job satisfaction and retention.
Carney Hill Community School has struggled when it comes to attracting and retaining
teachers. This project has identified the PLC as a tool for increasing both job
satisfaction and retention. Should the PLC continue to operate in the same fashion as it
currently is, it may well become a school where people will want to come and work.

Recommendations
Because there is always room for improvement, research participants were
asked to share their thoughts on how to improve the PLC at Carney Hill. A number of
recommendations were made which included:
1. Working in small groups more often - Participants in the PLC enjoyed the

opportunity to work in small groups (i.e. , 3-5 individuals) which were often
determined by similar grade level groupings.
2. Regular reflection meetings (i.e. , two stars and a wish)- Participants
appreciated the time to reflect on the PLC process and the direction in which the
group was heading. Being able to hear differing perspectives from colleagues
about what was and was not working appeared to be very well received when

53
discussed during the focus groups. A regular reflection piece was identified as
beneficial.
3. Sending others to the PLC conference - In order to continue to motivate each
other in the PLC process it was recommended that each year a new group of
staff be given the opportunity to participate in the PLC conference.
4. A structured check-in - This approach would see a "topic" for check-in which
would be related to the PLC agenda.
5. A rotating Chair - To avoid the concern about some staffmembers being the
Chair either too often or not enough, the creation of a rotating "chair" schedule
was recommended.
6. Increase the role of the Chair - The Chair would be responsible for preparing
and posting (staff email) the agenda for the meeting that she or he would be
leading.
7. Structured action items- Identify specific action items in such a way that
participants recognize the work that they have done. This would include the
identification of a beginning, middle, and end point, and documentation of the
progress made.
8. Assign homework- Incorporate into the regular meetings an element of
additional learning to take place outside of the classroom and the PLC meeting
itself (i.e., literature reviews etc.).
9. Embedding PLC meetings in the working day - Rather than attending the
meeting outside of working hours, the meeting would take place within the
working day.

54
10. Broaden participation - Work towards building representation of participants to
include additional participants such as teaching assistants .
For the 2008/2009 school year the recommendations that have been
implemented include:
1. Working in small groups more often,
2. Having reflection meetings,
3. Sending others to the PLC conference,
4. Using a rotating chair system,
5. Increasing the chair's role,
6. Presenting structured action items,
7. Embedding the PLC into the working day.

55

Chapter Six: Conclusion
The intent of this project was to assist in the creation of a PLC and to assess
whether or not being an active participant of the professional learning community at
Carney Hill Community School increased job satisfaction. This study has shown that
job satisfaction does increase as a result of participating in the PLC. While it is evident
that there were many stressful and frustrating moments experienced throughout the
2007/08 school year, these moments were outweighed by the experience of hope and
the experience of increased job satisfaction. These findings were corroborated by the
staff survey which saw a percentage increase of no less than 30 percent in all areas.
The areas surveyed included; vision, collaboration/communication, professional
development, job satisfaction, and retention.
Of particular interest is the "retention" percentage change which was 47 percent.
Useem and Neild (2005) note the importance of retention when it comes to school
improvement - according to them, "School improvement efforts require a reasonable
degree of staff stability; it is almost impossible to create change with a transient,

56

inexperienced staff' (p.44). Retention is an area that Carney Hill has struggled with
historically; therefore, if the PLC is improving job satisfaction and increasing retention
rates, the opportunity for school improvement should also increase.
Aside from struggling with job satisfaction and retention, student achievement
at Carney Hill is extremely low in comparison to the provincial statistics. The very
intent of a PLC is to increase student achievement. The ability to do this via a PLC has
been proven by advocates such as the DuFours, Hulley, Reeves, and Eaker. Therefore,
if the PLC at Carney Hill is operating in a manner outlined by the advocates identified
above, student learning at Carney Hill should be improving. To substantiate this,
further research concerning the PLC model at Carney Hill and student achievement
would be required. Some questions to focus on might include the following ones. What
does the PLC at Carney Hill look like? How does the PLC at Carney Hill operate?
How does the work of the PLC translate to the classroom? Has student achievement at
Carney Hill increased since the initiation of the PLC?
In summary, the findings of this project have shown an increase in many areas that
are important for the future success of students attending Carney Hill Community School.
Based on the information contained in this project, it is my recommendation that ongoing
support for the PLC at Carney Hill is required and imperative for further school
improvement. While the study focused specifically on Carney Hill, the findings are valuable
for other schools in the process of trying to establish a PLC. Too often when we experience
frustration or stress we give up. The staff at Carney Hill continued to believe in the power of
the PLC even when things were frustrating and stressful. The staff persisted, changed the
culture of Carney Hill and is now seeing improvement in a number of areas.

57

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Shannon, G.S. & Bylsma, P. (2007). Th e nine characteristics of high-pe1jorming schools: A

research-based resource for schools and districts to assist with improving student
learning. (2nd Ed.). Olympia, W A: OPSI.
Soy, S. K. (1997). The case study as a research method. Unpublished paper, University of
Texas at Austin.
Traut, T. (n.d.). Characteristics of high performance teams [Review of 50 studies on high
performance teams] . Retrieved on December 16, 2008 from

http :1/www. en trcprcncuri s mbib lc .com/bu s incss/kb hi gh-pcrformancc-teams.h tm
Useem, E., & Neild, R.C. (2005). Supporting new teachers in the city. Educational

Leadership, 62 (8), 44-47. Retrieved February, 16,2008, from the Academic Search
Premier database.
Zembylas, M., & Papanastasiou, E. (2005). Modeling teacher empowerment: The role of
job satisfaction. Educational Research and Evaluation, 11 (5), 433-459.

60

Appendices

61

Appendix A
Job Satisfaction: Assessing the Impact of Participating in a Professional Learning
Community at Carney Hill Community School

Why a PLC at Carney?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Carney is hard
Help with behaviour problems (i.e., FASD/ADD etc.)
Learn with others
Share ideas and responsibilities for kids
Community is strong here - working like this can only make it better
Stronger support for each other
More communication with each other
Different methods to get to the same place
Team work & building (staff & students)
Support
Reflective practice/evaluating student learning (how can we do it differently)
Collective responsibility
Eliminates isolation
Diminishes feelings of inadequacy
No ownership of knowledge - shared knowledge
Each school is unique and has specific problems
Current practice is not working for a percentage of students
We need change - we need a plan to facilitate the change
A way for teachers to work together and support one another
Collection of skill sharing
Open discussions for different actions
Generating ideas
Welcome for new staff
Decrease isolation
Allow for unique strategies
Opportunities for improvement
Liberation
Coherence
Collegiality
It's a change- we choose our path
What we've been doing hasn't been working

62

Appendix B
Steering Committee Work Plan
Colleague 1:
J Bookmarks
::J Article p. 297 (more to follow)
_j Start discussions in a week
_j Cultural Shift handout given on Tuesday
Colleague 2:
_j Go over what we'll share with administrators - overview
_j Go over what they need to do to make PLC work
J Request one hour to present to staff at staff meeting
J Present our new schedule (framework) to be reviewed with LAT/ESD/Library (alt,
reset, counselling)
Colleague 3:
J PowerPoint for Wednesday's presentation
Colleague 4:
J Projector
J Question sheets
Question recorder

Presentation to Staff
Colleague 1: Overview
Questions at the end - hand in to question box and we will discuss them all later
There has never been such wide-spread agreement about a promising approach to improving
schools (p.l26)
• In any other profession, if you are not using best practice it is malpractice
• If a doctor used the same approach to corrective eye procedures that he used
10 years ago it would be malpractice
Not a program it's a new way of thinking - quote on a bookmark (p.186)
We're not experts, we have the initial knowledge, but we know there will be ups and downs
and bumps and bruises
We've been presented with a model that supports best practice in the most recent research
Build on our strengths - learn from our colleagues by observation as well as discussion
Give the "Shifts in a PLC" handout the day before we present to staff on Tuesday
Shifts
Shift in fundamental purpose
Shift in assessment

63
Shift in response to when students don't learn
Shift in work of teachers
Shift in focus
Shift in school culture
Shift in professional development
Colleague 2:
Bump dips and roadblocks
Definition of Team - a group working interdependently toward a common goal, for which
members are mutually accountable
• Marathon example: group of people, together, toward a common goal; "but what is
missing?" not interdependently (they aren't saying "I can't accomplish this without
others")
Reciprocal obligation - if principal asks principal must provide (skills, resources, and time to
do it)
Greatest threat to PLC is Personal Autonomy
Research shows it will take at least three years
Change Killers (p. 56)
1. Toxic Feedback
2. Hierarchical Communication
3. Blame - it's NOT student caused, its teacher or admin caused
Colleague 3:
23 years to complete current ILOs -- choose essentials to be taught
• Levels of curriculum: intended, implemented, attained?
Focusing on the kids learning and NOT on teaching the curriculum- schedule will facilitate
it
Schedule
No new instruction time everyday-intervention and enrichment time (align with LA Ts)
Teach about PLC until Jan. then implement in Jan
Deep implementation of one thing (90%) rather than a basic implementation of many things
(p.56)
Colleague 4:
PLC requires a deep understanding of:
• Shared mission, vision, values, goals
• Collaborative teams
• Collective inquiry- gain shared knowledge, "this is an excellent math" find out if it
truly works based on research
• Action research/experimentation
• Continuous improvement
• Results orientation- focusing not on "how do you like it" but on "how is it affecting
learning"

64

MY versus OUR students - School teachers NOT Classroom teachers
Build on our strengths - learn from our colleagues by observation as well as discussion
Attitude will be important

b5

Appendlll C

Power Po1nt Presentdh)n

Professional Learning
Communi t ies

Today's Agenda
• Welcome and Introduction
• PLC 's at Work- Video
• A Shift to PLC - Ann
• ''Why PLC at Carney?" -Activity
• The Importance of Attitude - Liza
• Break (10 min .)
• Collaboration Focus - Kim & Leah
• Question Period
• Passion and Persistence ...

A Shift to PLC

Professional Learning Comm unities

There has never been such widespread agreement about a
promising approach to
improving schools.

Profe ssional Learning Communities

Professi onal Learning Communities

, Not a program ... it's a way of thinking
;. We have been presented with a model
that supports best practice in the most
recent research
;;.. In any other profession, if you are not
using best practice it is ' Malpractice'.

Build on our strengths ... learn
from our colleagues by
observation as well as
discussion

Cultural Shifts in Professional
Learning Communities

Wh at are these shifts?
A Shift in Fundamental Pu rpose
A Shift in Use of Assessments
r A Shift in the Response When Students
Don't Learn
r
A Shift in the Work of Teachers
r
A Shift in Focus
r
A Shift in School cu lture
r
A Shift in Professiona l Deve lopment
r

r

A Shift in Funda menta l Pu rpose

A Shift in Use of Assessments

" From a focus on teaching.

From infrequent summative assessments ... to
frequent common formative assessments
" From assessments to determine which students
failed to learn by the deadline ... to assessments to
identify students who need additional time and
support
~ From assessments used to reward and punish
students ...to assessments used to inform and
motivate students
~ From assessi ng many things infrequently .. to
assessing a few things frequently

to a focus on learning

" From an emphasis on what was taught .. to a fixation
on what students learned
" From coverage of content .. to demonstration of
proficiency
" From providing individual teachers with curriculum
documents such as curriculum guides ... to engaging
collaborative teams in building shared knowledge
regarding essential curriculum

A Shift in Use of Assessments
" From individual teacher assessment... to
assessments developed jointly by collaborative
teams
" From each teacher determining the criteria to be
used in assessing student work ... to collaborative
teams cla rifying the criteria and ensuring consistency
among tea m members when assessing student work
" From an over-reliance on one kind of
assessment. .. to balanced assessments
" From focusing on average scores .. .to monitoring
each students' proficiency in every essential skill

~

A Shift in th e Respo nse When
Stude nts Don 't Learn
" From individual teachers determining the appropriate
response ... to a systematic response that ensu res
support for every student
" From fixed time and support for learning .. to time
and support for learning as va riables
" From remediation ... to intervention
" From one opportunity to demonstrate learning .. to
multiple opportunities to demonstrate learn ing

A Shift in the Wo rk of Teachers

A Sh ift in the Work of Teachers

~ From isolation .. to collaboratio n
.., From each teacher clarifying what students must learn .. to
collabora tive teams building share d knowledge and
understanding about essential learning
From each teacher assigning priorit y to different learning
standard .. to collaborative teams establishing the pri ority of
respective learning standards
.., From teachers determining the pacing of the curriculum ... to
collaborative teams cf teachers helping each other improve

From individual teachers attempting to discover
ways to rmprove results ... to collaborative teams of
teachers helprng each other improve
' From privatization of practice .. to open sharing of
practice
' From decisions made on the basis of individua l
preferences ... to decisions made collectively by
building shared knowledge of best practice
' From an assum ption that "these are my kids, those
are your kids" ... to an assumption that "these are our
kids"

A Shift in Focus

A Shift in Sch ool Culture

From an external focus on issues outside of the school. .. to an
internal focus on steps the staff can ta ke to improve the school
"' From a focus on inputs .. to a focus on results
From goals related to completion of projects and activities ... to
SMART goals demanding evidence of student learning
~ From teachers gathering data from their individually cons tructed
test in order to assign grades ... to collaborative teams acquiring
informauon form common assessments in order to (1) inform
their individual and collective practice and (2) respond to
students who need additional time and support

~ From independence ... to interdependence
./ From a language of complaint. .. to a
language of commitment
./ From long-term strategic planning . .to
planning for short-term wins
./ From infrequent ge neric recognition .. .to
frequent specific recognition and a culture of
celebration that creates many winners

A Shift in Profe ssional Development

A Shift in Professional Development

./ From external train ing (workshops and
courses) ... to job-embedded learning
./ From the expectation that learning occurs
infrequently (on the few days devoted to
professiona l development) .. .to an
expectation that learni ng is ongoing and
occu rs as part of routine work practice
.1 From presentations to enti re sta ff ... to teambased action research

From learn ing by listening ... to learning by doing
From learning individually through courses and
workshops ... to learning collectively by working
together
~ From assessing impact on the basis of teacher
satisfaction ("Drd you like it?") ... to assessing impact
on the basis of evrdence of improved student
learning
~ From short-term exposure to multiple concepts and
practices ... to sustained commitment to limited
focused initiatives

..1

~

~
~

b8

Profess io nal Learni ng Co m m un ities

Take Some Time To Discuss

What \H' adl·ocate···is not a program. but
an ongoing, never-ending process
specifica!!,. designed to cha nge the 1·ery
culture of s chools and districts
- Taken from "Learning By Doing . A
Handbook for PLCs at Worl<:

" Why PLC at Carney?"

Collaborating Effectively

• Successfu l implementation will take three
years.
• Wynnebrook Elementary School:
Weathering the Storm

Any ques::ons - 1ot i.hen· doNn 1

The Importance of Attitude

Ups and Downs, Bumps and Bruises

• We will make progress as a PLC when we
move from a language of complai nt to a
language of commitment, from a language of
"they" to a language of "we" and, fro m
focusing on what we can't stand to what we
stand for.

Everyone ha s a sweater but they m ay
not be on the same team .. .

A Team ...

Vision

• A group working interdependently toward a
common goa l, for which members are
mutually accountable

Change

Action
Planning

Confusion

Resources

Action
Planning

Anx iety

Resources

Action
Planmng

Res istance

Action

Fru stratio n

Incentives

Resources

Skills

Incentives

! Resources

Incentives

Vision

Developing a Stretch Culture

Action
Planning

Skills

Vision

Skills

Vision

Skills

Incentives

Vision

SkillS

Incentives

I

Planning
Resources

j

Treadmill

Pos itive Action is Required
Action Stimulates Hope

• A stretch culture is, in fact, a culture of
encouragement, cari ng and support , for both
students and adults.
• Attitude is important!

As simple as it may seem. the way to begin overcoming
cynicism , negativity and hopelessness is to act.
We need leaders who:
,
2

3.

Have the will to act
Have the courage to act
Have the persistence to keep acting

Take Some Time To Discuss
When people begin to act, people begin to
hope . When people begin to gain hope, they
begin to behave differently. When people
behave differently they experience success.
When people experience success their
attitudes change. When a person's attitude
changes it affects other peoples'. This is th e
essence of reculturing schools into
professiona l learning communities.
DuFour, DuFour and Eaker

Any questions - jot them down'

10

Collaborative Focus

A Key Question in PLCs
• The Critical question to consider in a PLC is
not, "do we collaborate ," but rather,
" what do we collaborate about. "
• You must not settle for "Collaboration Lite' "

Critical Coroll ary Quest ions !
If We Be l ie ve Al 1 Kids Can Lea rn
• What is it we expect them to learn?
• How will we know when they have learned it?
• How wi ll we respond when they don't learn?
• How wi ll we respond when they already
know it?

Align Schoo l Structures

Traditional Schedule

New Master Schedule

Frequent disruption to
tea ching/learning blocks
Sporadic Specials classes
:hroughout the week
Sporad ic Planning Time for
Instructional Staff
No Collaborative Time Built
into the schedule
No time for additional
support built into the daily
schedu le except
before/after-school tutoring

Characte risti cs of a Learning
Com munity
• Shared mission, vision, values, goals
• Collaborative teams FOCUSED ON LEARNING
• Collective inquiry into "best practice" and "current
reality"
• Action orien tation/experimentation

Protected time for
Teaching/Learning
~ for all
Daily
Students
Daily Individual Planning for
all instructional staff
Weekly Collaborative
Planning fo r all teams
In tervent ion/Enrichmen t
Block for all Grade Levels
During the School Day

PLC is not a program
- it's a way of thinking
A way of th inking th at is
beneficial for OU R
students.

• Commitment to continuous improvement
• Results orientation

.

--

1i

Take Some Time To Discuss

Passion and Persistence

Questions?

72

Appendix D
What to Expect ...

Job Satisfaction: Assessing the Impact of Participating in a Professional
Learning Community at Carney Hill Community School
I am asking you to:
• participate in a focus group (see questions p. 4)
• complete a survey (see questions p. 5/6)
You will receive:
• a meal (served during focus group)
• a $10.00 gift certificate to Tim Hortons or Starbucks (your choice)
Potential benefits of project:
• information related to increasing job satisfaction at Carney
• information related to increasing the retention of staff at Carney
• information related to ongoing support of the PLC at Carney
In this package:
•
•
•
•

information sheet
informed consent
focus group questions - sample
survey questions - sample

73

Appendix E
Job Satisfaction: Assessing the Impact of Participating in a Professional Learning
Community at Carney Hill Community School

Information Sheet
Researcher:
Address:
Phone No:
Email:
Supervisor:
Title of Project:
Type of Project:

Mrs. Liza Arnold
Student - Masters of Education (Counselling) UNBC
2681 Hewlett Court, Prince George, B.C. , V2N 5H4
961 -6147 (cell)
arno ldl@unbc.ca
Dr. Bryan Hartman
Job Satisfaction: Assessing the Impact of Participating in a
Professional Learning Community at Carney Hill Community School
Research Project

Purpose of Research: The purpose of this project is to determine whether a professional
learning community (PLC) at Carney Hill Community School increases job satisfaction. If
the findings suggest that being an active participant in the PLC at Carney Hill does increase
job satisfaction, we will have obtained information about a "system" for contributing to
improved morale, increased motivation, retention of staff, and, ultimately higher student
achievement. In addition, the findings will also be used to justify and strengthen the
rationale for ongoing support (i .e. , time and resources) of the PLC.
Potential Benefits: The potential benefits associated with this proj ect may include; an
increase in teacher job satisfaction, an increased retention rate of teachers, an increase in
student success and, ongoing support of the PLC.
Potential Risks: There are no potential risks associated with this project.
How was respondent chosen: Respondents are any staff members working at Carney Hill
Community School who are active participants in the PLC and are willing to complete a
survey and interview.
What will the respondent be asked to do: Respondents will be asked to complete a survey
(Appendix H) and participate in an intervi ew (Appendix G) which will be recorded.
Who will have access to the respondents' responses: Access to the respondents' responses
will be given to the supervisor (Dr. Bryan Hartman), the researcher (Mrs. Liza Arnold) and
committee member (Dr. Linda O'Neill).
Voluntary nature of participating: Participation in the research is completely voluntary.
At anytime, respondents have the right to withdraw without question. Should a participant
wish to withdraw, their information will be withdrawn as well.

74

Whether there is remuneration for participating: Respondents will receive a $10.00 Tim
Hortons or Starbucks gift certificate for participating in the study (i.e., survey and interview).
Upon completion of the study participants will be invited to a luncheon.
How is anonymity addressed: Surveys will not require a respondent to reveal his/her name
nor position. The survey will be submitted via a secure drop box (i.e., box with lock). The
interview will not require the respondent to reveal his/her name nor position. As the
participant pool is small, anonymity may be difficult to ensure.
How is confidentiality addressed: No name, context or circumstance will be linked to any
of the information or quotes in the project.
How is information stored and for how long: All information will be stored in a secure
file cabinet which is equipped with a lock and located in a locked room. The information
will be stored for one year following the completion of the project.
How will information be destroyed: All paper will be shredded and all audio and
videotapes will be erased.
Name and phone number of person to contact incase questions arise: Mrs. Liza Arnold
(250-961-6147), Dr. Bryan Hartman (250-960-6647) or, the Office of Research (250-9605820).
How to get a copy of the research results: Contact Liza Arnold at 250-961-614 7 or
arnoldl@unbc.ca Copies can also be requested from the University of Northern British
Columbia Library.
Name and phone number of person to contact for more information: Mrs. Liza Arnold
(250-961-6147).
How can complaints be addressed: Complaints about the project should be directed to the
Office of Research, 960-5820 or by email reb(@,unbc.ca or Dr. Bryan Hartman (250-9606647).
Signed consent: The research participants must and will receive a copy of their signed
consent forms.

75

Appendix F
Job Satisfaction: Assessing the Impact of Participating in a Professional Learning
Community at Carney Hill Community School

Informed Consent
This document must be completed by the respondent prior to participating in the research
project.
Question
Do you understand that you have been asked to participate in a
research project?
Have you received and read a copy of the information sheet?
Do you understand that the interviews wi ll be recorded?
Do you understand the benefits and risks of participating in this
study?
Have you had the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the
study?
Do you understand you are free to refuse to participate or to
withdraw from the study at any time without explanation?
Has the issue of confidentiality been explained to you?
Do you understand who will have access to the information you
provide?
Do you understand the purpose of the research?
This study was explained to me by:

Yes

No

(Print Name) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __

I agree to participate in this study: (Print Name) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Signature of Research Participant

Witness information: (Print Name)

Date of Signature

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - -

Signature of Witness

Date of Signature

I believe that the person signing this form understands what is involved in the study and
voluntarily agrees to participate.
Signature of Researcher

Date of Signature

The information sheet must be attached to this Consent Form and a copy given to the
Research Participant

76

Appendix G
Job Satisfaction: Assessing the Impact of Participating in a Professional Learning Community at
Carney Hill Community School

Focus Group and Individual Interview Questions
1. Vision - What impact has PLC had on school vision? Share in terms of before PLC and after
PLC?

2. Collaboration/Communication -What impact has PLC had on collaboration and
communication? Share in terms of before and after PLC.

3. Professional Development - What impact has PLC had on professional development? Share
in terms ofbefore and after PLC.

4. Job Satisfaction - What impact has PLC had on job satisfaction? Share in terms of before
and after PLC.

I 5. Retention - What impact has PLC had on retention? Share in terms of before and after PLC.

Teachers discuss teaching on a regular basis.

Staff members work together to solve problems related to school issues.

The staff works in teams across grade levels to help increase student learning.

b.

c.

d.

a. The school uses a system to obtain a va riety of perspectives when making a decision .

Collaboration/Communication

f. The school's primary emphasis is improvi ng student learning.

e. Th e staff keeps the school's goals in mind when making important decisions.

d. All staff are committed to achieving the school's goals.

c. The staff shares a common understanding of what the school wants to achieve.

b. I have a clear understanding of what the school is trying to achieve.

a. The school has a clear sense of pu rpose.

Vision

Don't agree at all

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

No basis to
·udae

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

Time

Before PLC
After PLC
Before PLC
After PLC
Before PLC
After PLC
Before PLC
After PLC

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

Agree s lightly

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

Agree moderately

3

4

4

4

4

4

4

4

4

Agree mostly

4

4

2

3
1

0

2
1

0

After PLC

4

3

Before PLC

4

3
2
1

0

2
1

0

After PLC

4

3

Before PLC

4

3

After PLC

2
1

0

Before PLC

2
1

0

After PLC

4

3
2

1

0

4

3

Before PLC

4

3
2

1

0

AfterPLC

2

1

0

Before PLC

4

3

4

2

1

0

3

Agree mostly

4

2

1

Agree moderately

3

2

1

0

Agree slightly

0

Don't agree at all

After PLC

No basis to
'udae

Before PLC

Time

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

comcletelv

Agree

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Agree
comcletelv

As you read each of the statements below think about your experiences at Carney Hill Community School before and after becoming a participant of the PLC. Then
circle the number that best describes how much you agree with that statement.

Survey adapted from the perception survey provided by Shannon & Bylsma (2007)

Staff Survey

Job Satisfaction: Assessing the Initiating a Professional Learning Community at Carney Hill Community School

Appendix H

I

-l

....I

Staff members trust one another.

g.

Professional development activities are consistent with school goals.

I have enough opportunities to grow professionally.

Different staff members periodically lead professional development activities for staff.

Instructional staff view themselves as learners as well as teachers .

c.

d.

e.

f.

a.

a.

Staff members get help in the areas they need to improve.

b.

Working collaboratively with my colleagues increases my interest in con tinuing to work at
Carney.

Retention

Working collaboratively with my colleagues in creases my job satisfaction.

Job Satisfaction

Assessment results are used to determine professional learning actitivities.

a.

Professional Development

Teach ers have frequent communication with the families of their stud ents.

f.

..

Staff routinely work together to plan what will be taught.

e.

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Don't agree at all

1
1
Don't ag ree at all

1
1

0

0
0

0
0

0
0
0
0
0
No ba sis to
·udg e

0
0
No basis to
·udq e

0
0

After PLC
Before PLC
After PLC
Before PLC
After PLC
Before PLC
After PLC
Before PLC
After PLC

Time

Before PLC
After PLC
Time

Before PLC
After PLC

Time

Before PLC

Don't agree at all

No basis to
·udg e

After PLC

1

0

After PLC

1

1

0

Before PLC

1

1

0

After PLC

0

1

0

Before PLC

0

1

0

After PLC

Before PLC

1

0

Before PLC

4
4
4

3
3
3

2

4
4

3
3

2

2

2

Agree slightly

2

2

Ag ree mostly

4
4

3
3

4
Agree moderately

4

3

Agree mostly

3

Agree moderate ly

4

3
2
Ag ree s lightly

4

4

4

3

3

3

2

2

2

4

4

3
2

2

3

4

3

5

5

Agree
com ol etelv

5

5

Agree
complete ly

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5
4

3

2
2

5
4

3

5

5

5

Ag ree
c om p lete ly

5

5

5

5

5

5

2

2

4

3

2

Agree s lightl y

2

A gree m ostly

4

3

2

A gree m ode rately

4

3

2

2

4

3

2

-i
<:P

79

Appendix I
Job Satisfaction: Assessing the Impact of Participating in a Professional Learning Community at
Carney Hill Community School

Project Time Line
Date
2-Mar
3-Mar
10-Mar
21-Mar
6-May
7-May
9-May
9-May
10-May
14-May
20-May
26-May
27-May
May
July
August
8-Sep
6-0ct
3-Nov
1-Dec
2-Feb

.
Task
Pro_posal Completed for Initial Review
Proposal to Supervisor for Review
Revisions
Proposal Due to Research Ethics Board
Revise Proposal (REB and Supervisor)
Request Permission to Share Proposal with
PLC Members
Schedule Proposal Defense for May 20th
Copies of Proposal to Committee and
SD#57
Prepare Presentation for PLC
Share with PLC - Request Participation
Defend Proposal
Revisions to REB
Schedule Interviews and Survey Times
Ongoing Literature Review
Analyze Data
Write Rough Draft of Project
Rough Draft to Supervisor for Review
Corrected Draft to Committee Members
Final Revisions and Supervisor Review
Project Completion- Final Submission
Request Convocation

Notes

Write Rough Draft of Project
Write Rough Draft of Project
Rough Draft to Supervisor for Review

80

Appendix J

Norms ot the

r

~ Hill Learning

~

Time: We will begin and end our meetings on time (Wednesda:ls from 1:+5-

2:+5pm). We will consider

~

longer it re9uired.

Listening: We will encourage listening and speaking of ourselves and
others not

~ ~ modeling but also via a "speakers list".
~

We will welcome our co ll eagues to participate in an

"open" manner and will share the outcomes of our meetings in a
transparent fashion (i.e. posting minutes via email etc.).
Decision Making: We will make decisions in the best interest of student
learning ~

~ of consensus. We will make whole schoo l decisions with

input of those who are not in attendance. We will deal with conflicts as
~ occur in the learning

~ we will keep each other honest.

Farticipation: We will encourage participation ~ al lowing a ll members the
r

~ to contribute (awareness of who has/hasn't spoken) . We

will bring food!
Expectations: W e will ask of ourse lves to participate with

~,

respect, and a commitment to professionalism. We will move problems to
solutions.
We are a team- "A group of people working
a common goal for whic h members are held

r

~ to achieve
~ accountable."

81

Appendix K

Carney Hill Elementary School
A Learning Community

Agenda: Date
Chair:
Secretary:
Snacks :
•

Welcome and record participants

•

Check-in
o
o

How everyone is doing personally
Done individually around the table

•

Focus ofmeeting
o Determined the meeting prior
o Based on four guiding questions, vision, and goals

•

Check-out
o Reflection on meeting
o Done individually around the table

•

Next week:
o Focus
o Chair
o Secretary

Guiding Questions:
1. What is it we expect them to learn?
2. How will we know when they have learned it?

(What is the standard of mastery that they have to demonstrate?)

3. How will we respond when they don't learn?
4. How will we respond when they already know it?

82

Appendix L
Staff Survey: T -test Calculations
Vision
Subject
(i)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Before
(Xi1)
14
12
16
13
11
9
13
19
8
15

After
(Xi2)
27
20
20
22
26
26
21
19
17
16

Difference
Di=Xi1-Xi2
-13
-8
-4
-9
-15
-17
-8
0
-9
-1

169
64
16
81
225
289
64
0
81
1

457.96
286.96
153.76
302.76
547.56
645.16
286.96
70.56
302 .76
88.36

-10
-15
-7
-7
-11
-13
-4
-1
-8
-4

100
225
49
49
121
169
16

324
529
225
225
361
441
144
81
256
144

l:Di = -84
l:Di = 990
n=10
D= 8.4
l:(Di-D) = 3142.8
sd=18 .69
sd=5.91
Collaboration/Communication
Subject
(i)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

8

9
10

Before
(Xi1)
17
11
10
16
15
12
19
12
11
13

After
(Xi2)
27
26
17
23
26
25
23
13
19
17

Difference
Di=Xi1-Xi2

l:Di = -80
l:Di = 810
n=10
D=8.0
l:(Di-D) = 2730
sd=17.42
sd=5.51

64
16

83
Professional Development

Subject
(i)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Before
(Xi1)
13
15
6
13
15
14
15
13
19
14

After
(Xi2)
22
20
10
19
27
23
18
18
26
15

Difference
Di=Xi1 -Xi2
-9
-5
-4
-6
-12
-9
-3
-5
-7
-1

81
25
16
36
144
81
9
25
49

228.01
123.21
102.01
146.41
327.61
228 .01
82.81
123.21
171.61
50.41

l:Di =-61
l:Di =467
n=10
D=6.1
l:(Di-D) = 1583.3
sd=13 .26
sd=4 .2

Job Satisfaction

Subject
(i)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Before
(Xi1)
4
2
1
2
3
4
4
4
2
4

After
(Xi2)
5
4
3
4
5
5
4
5
3
4

Difference
Di=Xi1-Xi2
-1
-2
-2
-2
-2
-1
0

l:Di =-12
l:Di =20
n=10
D=1.2
l:(Di-D) = 63.2
sd=2.65
sd=0 .84

4
4
4
4
1
0

-1

1

-1
0

1
0

4.84
10.24
10.24
10.24
10.24
4.84
1.44
4.84
4.84
1.44

84
Retention

Subject
(i)

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Before
(Xi1)
4
2
0
2
3
2
3
3
3
4

After
(Xi2)
5
4
5
4
5
5
4
4
3
4

Difference
Di=Xi1-Xi2
-1
-2
-5
-2
-2
-3
-1
-1
0
0
l:Di =-17
l:Di =49
n=10
0=1 .7
l:(Di-0) = 135.7
sd=3.88
sd=1.23

4
25
4
4
9
1
0
0

7.29
13.69
44.89
13.69
13.69
22.09
7.29
7.29
2.89
2.89

85

Glossary
Action Research - Research for the purpose of advancing a social cause, to change
existing practices of inequality, discrimination, or environmental endangerment. Also
used in a more general way to refer to research that leads to any kind of immediate
change.

Bogdan , R.C., & Biklen, S.K. (2003). Qualitative research far education: An inrroduction to theories and merhods (4'h Ed.). Pearson
Education Group.

Alternate Program - An alternate location in the school where learning can occur for
students who struggle in the traditional classroom as a result of learning difficulties
and/or behaviour difficulties.
Case Study - A detailed examination of one setting, or a single subject, a single
depository of documents, or a particular event.

Bogdan, R.C., & Biklen, S.K. (2003). Qualitative research fo r education : An introduction/a theories and methods (4'h Ed.). Pearson
Education Group .

Collective Efficacy - Efficacy beliefs at the collective level refer to judgments that
people make about a social system (family, team, organization, or community) and about
its level of competence and effectiveness in specific domains of action.

Caprara, G. , Barbaranelli , C. , Borgogni, L., & Steca, P. (2003). Efficacy beliefs as detenninants of teachers ' job satisfaction. Journal
of Educational Psychology, 95 (4).

Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) - Annual province-wide assessment of British
Columbia students' academic skills, and provides a "snapshot" of how well BC students
are learning foundation skills in Reading, Comprehension, Writing, and Numeracy.
http: ·\\'ww.bced.t!O\ .bc.ca assc:-.smen t,' fsa ·

Percentage of Change - Posttest mean - Pretest mean X 100
Pretest mean
http: ·www.cfch i ldren.or!!.'meclia Illes 'STRstuclentexpsurvey.pclf

Poverty - The extent to which an individual does without resources (i.e. financial,
emotional, mental, spiritual, physical, support systems, relationships/role models, and
knowledge of hidden rules).
Payne, R. (2005). A framework/or understanding poverty (4'h Ed.). Highlands, TX: aha! Process.

Professional Learning Community - A group of individuals working together to
enhance their ability to achieve their shared vision and goals.

DuFour, R. (1999). Autonomy: In the midst of community, there's room for the individual. Journal of Staff Development, 20 (3).

86
Qualitative Study - An approach to social science research that emphasizes collecting
descriptive data in natural settings, uses inductive thinking, and emphasizes
understanding the subjects' point of view.

Bogdan, R .C. , & B iklen, S.K. (2003). Qua/itarive research f or educarion: An inrroducrion ro rheories and me/hods (4'h Ed.). Pearson
Education Group.

Quantitative Study - Research that examines phenomena through the numerical
representation of observations and statistical analysis.
!Htp:

.

.~

BJA e\"alua ti on glossarY elossarv a. ht m

Self-efficacy - An impression that one is capable of performing in a certain manner or
attaining certain goals. It is the belief that one has the capabilities the courses of actions
required to execute and manage prospective situations.
hnp.

~ .

. r

\\'ik i Se lf-efficacv

Strong Start - Free, play-based early learning program for preschool-age children (0-5)
attending with their parents or caregivers.
htt p: \\Ww.lcamno\\·bc.ca 'Parent ln fo nna lion Cent rc 'Earlv l eaminu Siron!!SianCcm rcs.asp'