The Impact of School Administrators’ Learning Leadership on Teachers’ Professional Learning Communities in Public Secondary Schools

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine 1) school administrators’ learning leadership, 2) teachers’ professional learning communities (PLCs), 3) the relationship between school administrators’ learning leadership and teachers’ PLCs, and 4) the impact of school administrators’ learning leadership on teachers’ PLCs in a public secondary school. The sample comprised 278 teachers from the Lop Buri Secondary Educational Service Area Office in Thailand during the 2025 academic year. The research instrument was a questionnaire. Data analysis included mean, standard deviation, Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression. The findings indicated that 1) school administrators’ learning leadership was generally high across all aspects, 2) teachers’ PLCs was also high overall and in each aspect, 3) there was a strong positive correlation between school administrators’ learning leadership and teachers’ PLCs, which was statistically significant at the .01 level, and 4) school administrators’ learning leadership comprising team learning, innovation and use of communication technology for learning, creativity, and a learning environment significantly affected teachers’ PLCs in a public secondary schools at the .05 level, explaining 65.40% of the variance in the teachers’ PLCs. The research findings can be applied to develop school administrators’ leadership for learning, which, in turn, will help increase the extent to which teachers operate as PLCs. Future research should focus on factors that influence both school administrators’ leadership in learning and teachers’ PLCs. This should also include models for developing school administrators’ leadership in learning. The findings explain 65.40% of the variance in teachers’ PLCs. Consequently, educational policymakers and school boards should implement targeted learning leadership training programs—specifically focusing on team learning and creating conducive environments. Developing these specific leadership traits will directly enhance collaborative teaching practices, thereby increasing the extent to which teachers effectively operate as PLCs to improve student outcomes.