Role of professional learning communities in improving teachers’ job satisfaction: why does trust in colleagues and emotional intelligence matter?

ABSTRACT

Though many scholars have examined the effects of professional learning communities on teachers and students globally, research in the Malaysian context is limited. This study examined the relationship between the professional learning communities and teachers’ job satisfaction, with teachers’ trust in colleagues as mediator and emotional intelligence as moderator. Data was collected from 307 teachers working at public primary schools in Malaysia. Data analysis was done using structural equation modeling with the help of the statistical software SmartPLS. Study findings revealed a direct, significant, and positive effect of the professional learning communities on teachers’ job satisfaction. Also, teachers’ trust in colleagues exerted partial mediating effect, whereas teachers’ emotional intelligence showed a negative moderating effect. The relevance of the findings and recommendations for future studies are discussed.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in Mendeley Data at https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/jw7kjghtnh/draft?a=1ca894d5-e669-4323-a8ed-85f99f6bf364.

Notes on contributors

Nidhi Singh

Nidhi Singh is a Ph.D. student at the Faculty of Education, University of Malaya. Her research interests include effectiveness of professional learning communities at schools, emotional intelligence, and the role of teachers’ job satisfaction in shaping their work attitudes. She obtained her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from IGNOU, India.

Sau Cheong Loh

Sau Cheong Loh received her Bachelor degree in Special Education (learning disabilities); and both Masters and Ph.D in Educational Psychology. Currently, she is a full time Professor and was the Head of Department for the Department of Educational Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Education, University of Malaya. Her research interests include teacher’s self-efficacy, student self-concept, attention development, motivation in learning, individualized education plan, assistive technology, and transitional plan for individuals with special needs.