Teacher Learning Communities and Teaching Performance in Disaster-Prone Primary Schools: A Sequential Explanatory Mixed-Methods Study

Teacher professional learning is particularly important in disaster-prone areas, where disruptions to school facilities, learning continuity, and teachers’ working conditions may create additional demands on teaching practice. This study aimed to examine the implementation of teacher learning communities and their relationship with teachers’ teaching performance at state primary schools in Sibolga City, as well as to explore the processes and contextual factors that support their implementation. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was employed. Quantitative data were collected from 205 teachers selected from a population of 539 teachers, while qualitative data were obtained from 15 learning community coordinators through interviews, field observations, and documentation. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data were analysed thematically and integrated with the quantitative findings. The results showed that teacher learning communities were implemented at a very good level, with an average achievement of 87.16%, while teachers’ teaching performance was in the good category, with an average of 85.8%. A positive and significant relationship was identified between teacher learning communities and teaching performance (r = 0.431), with the learning communities accounting for 33.2% of the variation in teaching performance. Qualitative findings showed that this contribution was realised through needs-based planning, collaboration, active participation, learning-focused discussion, reflection, and classroom follow-up. The effectiveness of learning communities was supported by school leadership, teacher engagement, collaborative school culture, time, and resources, while workload, resource limitations, and disaster-related disruptions remained challenges. These findings highlight the role of teacher learning communities as a sustainable mechanism for strengthening teaching practice and educational resilience in disaster-prone primary schools.