Teachers’ Use Of Whatsapp Groups For Professional Learning Community: Communication And Behavioral Pattern

luthpi safahi, m.pd; herri mulyono, ph.d.; dr. syaadiah arifin, m.pd.;

In this digital era, many teachers used WhatsApp to communicate among teachers, students, even with the parents. The teachers used WhatsApp for their professional community by creating a group in WhatsApp. One of the organizations that teachers have was MGMP (Musyawarah Guru Mata Pelajaran). This research addressed to two issues, including how teachers used WhatsApp group in their professional learning community and how do teachers’ communication and behavioral pattern using WhatsApp. This research used qualitative data in the form of descriptive analysis, 250 teachers in the group but only certain teachers were chosen as the participants. Collecting data techniques was based on five features of effective Professional Development, and was analyzed using thematic analysis. The results indicated
that WhatsApp group can be used by the teachers as a Professional Learning Community for some aspects, such as content focus, active learning, coherence, and collective participation. Those four features can be considered as the effective way to develop teachers’ Professional Learning Community. Moreover, the results of communication and behavioral patterns in developing professional learning covered two patterns such as conveyance and convergence process; and for behavioral pattern such as teaching materials, teachers’ self-development, and teaching-learning improvement. Those aspects can be considered as communication and behavioral patterns that help the teachers in developing their professional learning through the WhatsApp group.