School context and instructional capacity: A comparative study of professional learning communities in rural and urban schools in China

Dan Wang, Jingying Wang, Hui Li and Ling Li

International Journal of Educational Development, 2017, vol. 52, issue C, 1-9

Abstract: This study examines the teaching gap between rural and urban schools in China from the perspective of teacher professional learning communities (PLCs). Drawing on in-depth interviews with 36 primary school teachers, the study finds striking disparities between rural and urban schools in the working of Teaching and Research Groups (TRGs). These disparities in TRGs result in divergent patterns of instructional capacity building in rural and urban schools. The evidence shows that teaching and teachers are strongly shaped by the school organizational context. It suggests that strengthening school-wide PLCs is an important way of narrowing the rural-urban teaching and learning gaps.

Keywords: Professional learning community; Teaching and research groups; Rural education development; School context; Rural-urban gap; Education in China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:injoed:v:52:y:2017:i:c:p:1-9

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2016.10.009

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