Coaching is a professional development approach that is utilized to support classroom teachers’ implementation of research-based teaching strategies and methods. Studies have shown that coaching supports classroom teachers’ implementation of teaching strategies and methods; however, there is little research on what coaches do to support classroom teachers.
The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe the nature of support during coaching, the teaching changes, and the link between support and teaching changes. The study took place at a school that was registered in the Literacy Collaborative® program. The program was based on a research-based instructional model for literacy teaching and learning and school-based professional development (including coaching) was a part of the program. The researcher investigated how the classroom teachers’ teaching changed and how the coach supported a kindergarten teacher and a second grade teacher. This study included an examination of the links between the coach’s support and teaching changes.
During the data collection period of six months, 10 coaching sequences (a total of 45 hours and 43 minutes), 18 language and literacy instructional periods (a total of 35 hours and 35 minutes), and 20 interviews (a total of 13 hours and 50 minutes) were documented on video and/or audio recordings. Data sources included field notes, researcher’s reflection journal, and copies of documents and artifacts utilized by the coach and classroom teacher during the coaching sequences. The documents and artifacts included copies of the coach’s notes, classroom teacher’s notes, professional resources, and student work samples. The coach and two teachers completed a participant survey on their professional and teaching attitudes. In addition, the Developing Language and Literacy Teaching rubric (Bryk et al., 2006) was utilized to examine teaching changes; this rubric was designed as a scaled measure of instructional practice. A total of 48 rubrics for specific teaching components during the coaching sequences and a total of 18, full sets of the rubrics were completed during the language and literacy instructional period. The data was transcribed, coded and analyzed.
Analysis of the data revealed that the classroom teachers implemented changes in their teaching. The coach utilized an organized, routine in her coaching structure that supported the classroom teacher’s teaching issues by responding to her needs. The coach utilized varied levels of support to prepare the classroom teacher to implement changes. Data analysis revealed that support responding to the classroom teacher’s agenda and needs was linked to changes. The classroom teachers were more likely to implement teaching changes when they received various levels of support (including practice with feedback) through the teaching process during the coaching sequence.
This study supplemented the current research on coaching as a part of professional development. It described the nature of support that a coach provided. This study extended the existing studies by describing the teaching changes that the classroom teachers implemented and the links between the teaching changes and support.