Relationship between teacher learning and school culture

On school culture and teacher learning.'It is a culture with very high expectations from both parents and staff. Where everyone has the belief everyone will achieve, with this principal the expectations on us are higher now. The accountability is more succinct. It has always been a culture where the staff agrees on the same sort of philosophy. When we talk about how children learn to read etc there is never much disagreement. When there is some disagreement it leads to discussion. I have worked harder here than anywhere but it is all for good. Everything is improving, my teaching and the students learning'. (Teacher School A). Professional development and teacher learning have been areas of great interest for many years. Similarly, school culture has been the subject of many studies. This research aimed to bring together the information available on school culture and teacher learning and to examine the relationships between these two areas. Specifically it aimed to develop a grounded theory which explained the role that school culture plays in teacher learning. The study was set within the qualitative research paradigm and involved focused observation, recording, analysis and checking for reliability through the use of credible measures. The research revealed the complex relationships between professional development, teacher learning and school culture. The findings of this study indicated that the choice of professional development activity, the actual processes and structures within that chosen activity, teacher attributes, that is, attitudes to learning, and the school culture all have a significant impact on the teacher learning that takes place. Further, the grounded theory showed how the school culture could be observed through the lenses of the school community, values and beliefs, processes in place and conditions.