ABSTRACT

This article analyses the perceptions that teachers, managers, and educational assistants have about the dimensions that are considered to make up a Professional Learning Community in order to identify differences between different educational contexts. The research methodology corresponds to a concurrent mixed study with a multiple case study strategy in three Chilean schools. When considering the results obtained from the PLCA-R questionnaire, together with the focus groups, it is observed that the perceptions of the three cases coincide in positively evaluating those dimensions linked to the development of the mission and shared values, as well as the relationships within the communities and collaborative learning. However, shared personal practice and the conditions and resources for the development of Professional Learning Community are still a challenge for management teams and funders.

Keywords:
Collaborative teaching; Organizational learning; Professional Learning Communities; Cooperative learning; Professional development