Exploring Professional Learning Communities in LDS Religious Education: Opportunities, Barriers, and Experience

Currently, many educators are focusing on professional learning communities to assist in teacher development (Talbert & McLaughlin, 2002). This has led to calls by educational scholars toward the exploration on the development of professional learning communities in schools (Heckman & Montera, 2009; NCTAF; 2010; Roy & Hord, 2006), as these communities "hold considerable promise for capacity building for sustainable improvement" (Stoll, Bolam, McMahon, Wallace, & Thomas, 2006/2010, p. 29). Despite the popularity of professional learning communities in public educational settings (see Roy & Hord, 2006), there are virtually no studies that have explored the feasibility or desirability of creating a professional learning community consisting of volunteer religious educators.;Four professional learning communities were launched in the Fall of 2013, consisting of volunteer seminary teachers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) and the researcher, a Seminaries and Institutes of Religion (S&I) professional coordinator. This action research study explored the opportunities, barriers, and experiences volunteer seminary teacher participants and the researcher as facilitator encountered while gathering as professional learning communities throughout the 2013-2014 school year. Furthermore, this dissertation addressed the three research questions used to guide this study, providing implications and recommendations for the further evolution of these communities within both the local seminary program and the greater S&I organization.;Collectively, the professional learning community features and conditions appear to have positively influenced the work of seminary teacher participants by creating an environment where they could directly explore current and relevant issues related to their work with seminary students. They also influenced the role of the professional S&I coordinator, which shifted from an expert modeling and teaching specific lessons to volunteer teachers, to a facilitator inquiring with volunteer teachers. Finally, these professional learning communities provided a space within the hierarchical LDS religious organization that allowed for social, collaborative, and sustained teacher development and learning.