AUTHOR=Peng Qian , Liu Lijia , Zhang Limin , Yue Yaping 

TITLE=Adaptation and Validation of a Scale for Measuring the Curriculum-Based Professional Learning Community in Early Childhood Education in China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.909842

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.909842

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Teachers’ professional learning community, as an effective way to promote teachers’ professional development and improve teaching quality, has been widely used in school contexts. In kindergartens, the practice of teacher professional learning community mainly focuses on kindergarten curriculum. The revision and adaptation of the scale of professional learning community for kindergarten teachers in accordance with the Chinese cultural context is of great significance for understanding the current situation of professional learning community for kindergarten teachers and improving the quality of collaboration within the community. Teacher Professional Learning Community Scale was revised into the Curriculum-Based Professional Learning Community Scale according to the characteristics of kindergarten curriculum in Chinese context. Based on data from a sample of 2, 823 teachers, the study conducted an item analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on participants in sample A (n=1,410), and confirmatory factor analyses on participants in sample B (n=1, 413). Short-form Teacher Self-Efficacy scale were used as the criteria-related validity instrument. Sample A and Sample B were used to explore the relationship between various dimensions of teachers' professional learning community and teachers' teaching efficacy.	Results show that instead of the five factors structure of the original PLC scale, the Chinese version of CBPLC scale consists of four factors: Shared Sense of Purpose, Collective Focus on Children Learning and Development, Collaborative and Reflective Activity, Deprivatized Practice. The revised scale has good reliability and validity and can be used as an effective tool to measure the curriculum-based professional learning community of kindergarten teachers in China. The results of CFA analysis indicated that the four-factor CFA model fit the data well, and the CBPLC significantly positively predicted teacher’s self-efficacy for instructional strategies, student engagement, and classroom management.