Examining the five dimensions of professional learning communities in Nigerian schools: A study of the perceptions of educators in Delta State Schools

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine whether educators perceive the existence of the five dimensions of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in Delta State Schools in Nigeria. This study used an online survey to assess 105 teachers' and administrator's perceptions from six randomly sampled Delta State Central Senatorial District schools. The analyzed results of the data from the online survey with the t-test statistical techniques revealed that four out of the five dimensions of PLCs were perceived by the educators to exist in the Nigeria schools. The dimensions are: Shared and supportive leadership, shared values and vision, collective learning and application of learning, and supportive conditions and capacities. But the educators did not perceive that shared personal practice---peer performance review and feedback---exists in their schools. Since all five dimensions provided by Hord (1997a) were identified as key characteristics that exist in schools that encouraged the development of PLCs, the study suggests that educators did not perceive that PLCs exist or is practiced in Nigeria schools. Also, the study revealed that there exists no statistically significant difference between the teachers and administrators perceptions in all the five dimensions of PLCs. However, it suggested for a further study to be replicated in other States schools' districts in Nigeria in order to ascertain whether there is concurrence perception nationally.