Organizational factors shaping schools' maturity as professional learning communities: a study of Romanian mainstream and special education contexts

Purpose This study examined Romanian teachers' perceptions of their school's maturity as a professional learning community (PLC) in relation to several organizational factors, including school learning capability, specific types of school culture, school size and class size. Additionally, the study explores whether these organizational variables are perceived differently across the two types of schools: mainstream versus special education. Design/methodology/approach To answer the research questions, a quantitative cross-sectional design was employed. Three hundred forty-nine Romanian teachers from mainstream schools (n = 195) and special schools (n = 154) were recruited through convenience and snowball sampling. Data were collected using an online questionnaire comprising three distinct instruments, each designed to measure the examined variables. Findings The results showed that schools’ maturity as PLCs was positively related to schools’ learning capability and clan and adhocracy cultures, and negatively associated with school size and class size. Schools with high learning capability and culture that ensure teamwork and knowledge dissemination (i.e. clan culture) or entrepreneurial leadership, experimentation and openness to change (i.e. adhocracy culture) are more likely to develop mature PLCs. The results indicated differences between mainstream and special education in terms of market culture, with teachers in special education perceiving a less pronounced market culture in their schools. Originality/value These findings highlight the importance of a supportive organizational culture in developing PLCs and examine in detail the role of school size, class size and type on PLC development, factors often overlooked in previous research.