School-Based Professional Learning Communities as a Means for Curriculum Development: A Case Study from Taiwan

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore how participating in professional learning communities influenced teachers’ curriculum design skills during the recent curriculum reform in Taiwan. A cohort of high school teachers in suburban areas participated in a semester-long professional learning community, strictly based on a well-planned agenda as professional experimentation. The researchers adopted a qualitative method by devising an initial and a final interview protocol as a data collection instrument. The results identified four components during the PLC process leading to teacher change in the curriculum design process—active participation, consistent focus, supportive collaboration and collective learning and shared practice. The notions of hard and soft PLCs along with the implications are proposed.