Research Summary: Enabling a professional learning community in Malaysian rural primary schools: the role of collegial trust

A recent study investigated the association between different dimensions of collegial trust and teachers' engagement in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) within Malaysian rural primary schools. The research aimed to understand how specific facets of trust act as relational resources for collaboration in geographically isolated and resource-constrained educational settings. The study utilized a cross-sectional correlational survey design, collecting data from 310 teachers across 57 rural primary schools.

Why it matters

Understanding the role of collegial trust in professional learning communities is crucial for enhancing educational outcomes, particularly in challenging environments. Identifying specific trust dimensions that foster collaboration can inform targeted strategies to improve teacher development and knowledge sharing across an institution or sector.

Key insights

• The study explores the association between collegial trust dimensions and engagement in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).
• It focuses specifically on teachers within rural primary schools in Malaysia.
• The research aims to identify which dimensions of collegial trust sustain collaboration in isolated and resource-constrained educational contexts.
• A cross-sectional correlational survey design was employed for data collection.
• Data was gathered from 310 teachers using proportional cluster random sampling across 57 rural schools.
• Descriptive analyses and structural equation modeling (SEM) were planned to examine relationships, though specific results are not provided in this summary.

Source

Frontiers in Education — https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2026.1906655