HOW CAN A CAREER ACADEMY MOVE THEIR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING PARTICIPATION FROM COMPLIANCE TO SELF MOTIVATED COMMITMENT?

The research addressed teachers lack of motivation toward participating in Professional Learning Communities (PLC) without a mandate at a Career Academy. The purpose of the study was to examine what practices leaders can put in place that would create a collaborative adult learning environment that would lead to more teacher buy-in in PLCs. The following themes emerged from the study: (1) Structural change is needed; (2) Teacher input is important; (3) PLCs need time constraints and time to learn; (4) Teacher autonomy is key; (5) PLCs should be beneficial, and (6) Leaders should have minimal input in the PLC process. The findings were clear on what teachers needed to increase their motivation toward PLCs. It also revealed that leaders’ role in PLCs should be minimal.