Exploring the mediating role of teacher identity between professional learning community and teacher resilience: evidence from Eastern China

The increasing volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) in education threaten its sustainable development. Long-term teacher development is crucial for educational sustainability, but teachers face significant challenges leading to burnout and decreased efficacy. Teacher resilience, the ability to cope with adversity and sustain professional growth, is vital. This study focuses on the meso-level contextual factor of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and the micro-level factor of teacher identity, exploring their combined impact on teacher resilience. The research hypothesizes a positive association between PLCs and teacher resilience, with teacher identity mediating this relationship. The study uses data from a survey of 2815 primary and secondary school teachers in East China who participate in various PLCs within and among schools to test these hypotheses.

The literature review examines the concepts of teacher resilience, professional learning communities (PLCs), and teacher professional identity. Teacher resilience is defined as the ability to navigate adversity and maintain professional growth, understood as an interplay between individual characteristics and environmental influences. Research highlights various macro-, meso-, and micro-level factors impacting resilience. PLCs are collaborative groups of teachers working together to improve instruction. In China, they often stem from Teaching Research Groups (TRGs). Research shows PLCs enhance teacher knowledge and skills. Teacher professional identity is a complex and dynamic construct encompassing values, role perceptions, belonging, and behavioral tendencies. Existing research suggests links between teacher identity and resilience, but quantitative studies clarifying this relationship are limited. This study builds upon prior work by investigating the interplay of PLCs, teacher identity, and resilience using quantitative methods.

This study employed a quantitative survey design. Between October 2020 and February 2021, 3200 teachers from over 200 schools in an eastern Chinese district were surveyed, with 2815 valid responses (88% response rate). Data were filtered to exclude outliers and samples with excessive missing data. The sample included 741 men (26.3%) and 2074 women (73.7%), with varying years of teaching experience and school levels. Three scales were used: the 10-item Teacher Resilience Scale (TRS), the 18-item Professional Learning Community Scale (PLCS), and a 14-item Teacher Professional Identity Scale (TPIS). The TRS measured shared job satisfaction, self-efficacy, and commitment to teaching and learning. The PLCS assessed shared leadership, shared values, collective learning, shared practice, and supportive conditions. The TPIS measured occupational values, role values, sense of belonging, and professional behavior inclination. SPSS 26.0 and Mplus 8.3 were used for data analysis. Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed to evaluate the relationships between variables, controlling for gender and teaching experience. Bootstrap analyses were used to assess the significance of indirect effects.

Descriptive statistics showed positive means for all scales. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant gender differences in teacher resilience, with female teachers showing lower resilience than male teachers. A multiple mediating effects model was developed, demonstrating an acceptable fit (χ² = 386.841, df = 41, p < 0.01, RMSEA = 0.079, CFI = 0.937, TLI = 0.912, SRMR = 0.036). The model revealed significant positive relationships between PLCs and all three dimensions of teacher resilience (shared job satisfaction, self-efficacy, and commitment to teaching and learning). Bootstrap analyses showed significant indirect effects of PLCs on teacher resilience through various dimensions of teacher identity. Specifically, occupational values mediated the relationship between PLCs and shared job satisfaction; occupational values, role values, and sense of belonging mediated the relationship between PLCs and self-efficacy; and role values and professional behavior inclination mediated the relationship between PLCs and commitment to teaching and learning. The mediating effects of teacher identity accounted for a substantial portion (29.36-30.45%) of the total effect of PLCs on teacher resilience.

The findings support the hypotheses, demonstrating a strong positive association between PLCs and teacher resilience, partially mediated by teacher identity. This confirms the importance of collaborative engagement and meaning-making in fostering teacher resilience. The results extend existing knowledge by quantifying the links between PLC participation, identity development, and resilience. The mediating role of specific aspects of teacher identity – occupational values, role values, sense of belonging, and professional behavior inclination – offers valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying this relationship. The study highlights the importance of fostering a supportive environment within PLCs that promotes a positive sense of professional identity, clarifies the value of teaching, and strengthens teachers' commitment to their roles.

This study provides strong empirical evidence for the positive impact of PLCs on teacher resilience, mediated by teacher identity. The findings underscore the importance of promoting PLCs and nurturing teacher identity to enhance teacher well-being and sustain professional development in the context of East China. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to establish causality, investigate other factors influencing teacher resilience, and expand the geographical scope of the study. Qualitative methods could also enrich the understanding of the mechanisms involved.

The study's cross-sectional design limits causal inferences. The sample is specific to one region in eastern China and may not generalize to other contexts. While gender and teaching experience were controlled for, other socio-demographic variables (e.g., educational background, income level, school location) could influence the findings. The study focused on specific dimensions of teacher identity and resilience; exploring other aspects could provide a more comprehensive understanding.