Volume 12 Issue 2 (2023)

Exploring Within Team Differences in Coaching Supports

pp. 14-31  |  Published Online: May 2023  |  DOI: 10.22521/edupij.2023.122.2 (registering DOI)

Rosalie Hiuyan Chung

Abstract

Background/purpose – Coaching supports teachers to varying degrees, and the same coach may engage different teachers in distinct ways. This study explores this variation in coaches’ interactions with different teachers over two years to identify supports for coaches to develop positive coaching dynamics with teachers.

Materials/methods – I conducted a comparative case study of two coaches who each oversaw two different teachers. Drawing on interviews with teachers and coaches over two years and video-recorded observations of coaching sessions, I examined coach-teacher interactions and individual’s perceptions to understand how and why coaches interact differentially with teachers.

Results – While coaches did not differentiate their coaching process for teachers, they met teachers at different frequencies. Rather than determining their coaching frequency on teachers’ instructional skills, coaches more regularly met with teachers who had stronger relationships with the coach.

Conclusion – The current study illustrates that coaches’ dynamics with individual teachers vary, which leads to some teachers being more receptive to the same coach than others. This study’s results underscore the need to support coaches in learning how to systematically differentiate their coaching based on individual teacher’s needs.

Keywords: Coaching, coaching dosage, coaching perceptions, teacher differentiation

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