Learning together, growing together: teacher educators' engagement in a virtual professional learning

Abstract

Purpose This study explores how Indonesian teacher educators engage in virtual professional learning through a WhatsApp-based virtual professional learning community (VPLC), focusing on processes of “learning together” and “growing together.” Design/methodology/approach Using an interpretive qualitative case study design, data were collected primarily through semi-structured interviews exploring participants' experiences of engagement within a WhatsApp-based VPLC. Guided by a multidimensional engagement framework (behavioral, cognitive, collaborative, social, and emotional), the analysis shows how peer feedback, resource sharing, structured dialogue, and reflective inquiry support instructional adaptation and professional confidence. Findings Findings underscore the importance of emotional support, trust, and distributed leadership in sustaining engagement. Despite challenges such as workload pressures and uneven digital literacy, mobile-based professional communities offer meaningful, context-sensitive spaces for collaborative and ongoing professional growth. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature in three ways. First, it shifts attention from school teachers to teacher educators, a group that remains underrepresented in VPLC research. Second, it examines a self-organized WhatsApp-based professional learning community operating outside formal institutional professional development structures. Third, it demonstrates how multidimensional engagement (behavioral, cognitive, emotional, collaborative, and social) supports professional learning within a resource-constrained and geographically dispersed Indonesian context.