Professional learning communities and teacher outcomes. A cross-national analysis

To address the lack of cross-national research on teacher outcomes of professional learning communities (PLCs), this study investigates the relationships between PLCs and teacher outcomes using data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018. With a sample of 127,339 teachers from 40 countries, we explore how PLCs relate to job satisfaction, self-efficacy, and clarity of instruction. Results show a robust positive relationship with job satisfaction, while relationships with self-efficacy and clarity of instruction are weaker and vary by context. Our findings suggest that PLC effectiveness vary across educational and cultural contexts, calling for further research. • Relationships between PLCs and teacher outcomes are compared across 40 countries. • We find positive relationships with teachers' job satisfaction in most countries. • Relationships with self-efficacy and clarity of instruction are generally weak. • Relationships with self-efficacy and clarity of instruction vary across countries. • Results are relatively stable across differences in teaching experience and gender.