The influence of school orientation to learning on teachers' professional learning change

Abstract

This article presents a theoretical argument for assuming that schools have an orientation to learning that influences both whether teachers learn and also whether they change professionally as a result of the learning. This school-level orientation to learning is hypothesized to consist of beliefs and practices about learning. Results from a structural equation modeling process of 1,126 teacher survey responses in England show that schools have an orientation to learning that includes beliefs about learning, systems and supports for learning, and collective capacity for learning. The practices constituting the school-level orientation to learning have a strong to moderate influence, via path analysis, on teacher learning change defined as a composite outcome of change in beliefs, practices, and students. The beliefs that constitute a school-level orientation have a weak, but still significant, influence on teacher learning change.