Abstract
In most states, Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) with a Birth-Kindergarten teaching license serve as both the general education teacher and special education teacher for children and their families in inclusive early childhood education (ECE) settings. Prior research suggests that inclusive programming does not guarantee these ECE settings are high-quality. Although evidence-based practices (EBP) and the Division of Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices (RPs) have been established, a research-to-practice gap still exists in the inclusive, ECE classroom. Additional research indicates that coaching teachers may influence their implementation of EBPs in classrooms. This study provided early childhood educators (ECEs) the opportunity to share their perceptions about the support they receive from mentors and evaluators, as well as report the specific aspects of coaching needed to be successful while working in inclusive pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) classrooms. Qualitative research methods using an ethnomethodological framework were used to examine ECEs’ responses to semi-structured questions. Findings from this study can inform a prospective coaching model that includes explicit modeling, a deeply reflective component, and an array of professional development (PD) opportunities.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Austin, L. J. E., Edwards, B., & Whitebook, M. (2018). California’s ECE workforce: What we know now and the data deficit that remains. University of California, Berkeley: Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. http://cscce.berkeley.edu/californias-ece-workforce/.
Blanton, L. P., & Pugach, M. P. (2011). Using a classification system to probe the meaning of dual licensure in general and special education. Teacher Education and Special Education, 34(3), 219–234. https://doi.org/10.1177/0888406411404569
Boje, D. M. (1991). Stories of the storytelling organization: A postmodern analysis of Disney as “Tamara-Land.” The Academy of Management Journal, 38, 997–1035. https://doi.org/10.5465/256618
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77–101.
Buysse, V., & Hollingsworth, H. L. (2009). Program quality and early childhood inclusion: Recommendations for professional development. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 29, 119–128. https://doi.org/10.1177/0271121409332233
Chadwell, M. R., Roberts, A. M., & Daro, A. M. (2019). Ready to teach all children? Unpacking early childhood educators’ feelings of preparedness for working with children with disabilities. Early Education and Development, 31(1), 100–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2019.1621584
Chandler, L. K., Cochran, D. C., Christensen, K. A., Dinnebeil, L. A., Gallagher, P. A., Lifter, K., Stayton, V. D., & Spino, M. (2012). The alignment of CEC/DEC and NAEYC personnel preparation standards. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 32(1), 52–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/0271121412437047
Childcare Aware. (2017). A child care agenda for congress, the administration, and states: Igniting possibilities, promoting innovation. Child Care Aware of America. https://www.childcareaware.org/our-issues/public-policy/.
Child Care Services Association. (2015). Working in Early Care and Education in North Carolina 2015 Workforce Study. Child Care Services Association. https://www.childcareservices.org/research/workforce-studies/working-in-early-care-and-education-statewide-workforce-studies/2015-north-carolina-child-care-workforce-study/.
Child Care Services Association. (2020). Working in Early Care and Education in North Carolina 2019 Workforce Study. Child Care Services Association. https://www.childcareservices.org/research/workforce-studies/working-in-early-care-and-education-statewide-workforce-studies/2019-north-carolina-child-care-workforce-study/.
Coogle, C. G., Storie, S., Ottley, J. R., Rahn, N. L., & Kurowski-Burt, A. (2019). Technology-enhanced performance-based feedback to support teacher practice and child outcomes. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 39, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/0271121419838624
Cook, B. G., & Odom, S. L. (2013). Evidence-based practices and implementation science in special education. Exceptional Children, 79, 135–144. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440291307900201
Creswell, J. W., & Miller, D. L. (2000). Determining validity in qualitative inquiry. Theory Into Practice, 39, 124–130. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip3903_2
Cruickshank, D. R. (1998). Use and benefits of reflective teaching. Phi Delta Kappan, 66, 704–706.
Division for Early Childhood (2014). DEC recommended practices in early intervention/early childhood special education 2014. https://www.dec-sped.org/dec-recommended-practices.
Elek, C., & Page, J. (2019). Critical features of effective coaching for early childhood educators: A review of empirical research literature. Professional Development in Education, 45(4), 567–585. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2018.1452781
Fettig, A., & Artman-Meeker, K. (2016). Group coaching on pre-school teachers’ implementation of pyramid model strategies: A program description. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 36(3), 147–158. https://doi.org/10.1177/0271121416650049
Francois, J. (2020). Teaching beliefs and their relationship to professional development in special education teachers. Educational Considerations, 45(3), 1–14.
Friedman, M., Woods, J., & Salisbury, C. (2012). Caregiver coaching strategies for early intervention providers: Moving toward operational definitions. Infants and Young Children, 25(1), 62–82. https://doi.org/10.1097/IYC.0b013e31823d8f12
Friedman-Krauss, A. H., Barnett, W. S., Garver, K. A., Hodges, K. S., Weisenfeld, G. G., & Gardiner, B. A. (2020). The state of preschool 2019: State preschool yearbook. National Institute for Early Education Research.
Gomez, R. E., Kagan, S. L., & Fox, E. A. (2015). Professional development of the early childhood education teaching workforce in the United States: An overview. Professional Development in Education, 41(2), 169–186. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2014.986820
Guo, Y., Dynia, J. M., Pellati, C. Y., & Justice, L. M. (2014). Self-efficacy of early childhood special education teachers: Link to classroom quality and children’s learning for children with language impairments. Teacher and Teacher Education, 39, 12–21.
Hemmeter, M. L., Hardy, J. K., Schnitz, A. G., Adams, J. M., & Kinder, K. A. (2015). Effects of training and coaching with performance feedback on teachers’ use of pyramid model practices. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 35(3), 144–156. https://doi.org/10.1177/0271121415594924
Inbar-Furst, H., Douglas, S. N., & Meadan, H. (2020). Promoting caregiver coaching practices within early intervention: Reflection and feedback. Early Childhood Education Journal, 48, 21–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-019-00980-2
Jablon, J., Dombro, A. L., & Johnsen, S. (2016). Coaching with powerful interactions: A guide for partnering with early childhood teachers. Library of Congress.
Kitzinger, J. (1995). Qualitative research: Introducing focus groups. British Medical Journal, 311, 299–302. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.311.7000.299
Kretlow, A. G., & Bartholomew, C. C. (2010). Using coaching to improve the fidelity of evidence-based practices: A review of studies. Teacher Education and Special Education, 33, 279–299. https://doi.org/10.1177/0888406410371643
Kretlow, A. G., Cooke, N. L., & Wood, C. L. (2012). Using in-service coaching to increase teachers’ accurate use of research-based strategies. Remedial and Special Education, 33, 348–361. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932510395397
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage Publications.
Maryam, B., Sören, H., & Gunilla, L. (2020). Putting scaffolding into action: Preschool teachers’ actions using interactive whiteboard. Early Childhood Education Journal, 48, 79–92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-019-00971-3
Maxwell, J. A. (2005). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach (2nd ed.). Sage Publications Inc.
McCollum, J. A., Hemmeter, M. L., & Hsieh, W. (2011). Coaching teachers for emergent literacy instruction using performance-based feedback. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 33(1), 28–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/0271121411431003
Meadan, H., Snodgrass, M. R., Palomo, I., Amenta, C. G., & Halle, J. W. (2017). A framework for defining contextual features of training and coaching practices. Exceptionality, 25(4), 253–269. https://doi.org/10.1080/09362835.2016.1196451
NAEYC (2019). Defining and recognizing high-quality early learning programs: NAEYC's 10 accreditation standards. Teaching Young Children, 13(1). https://www.naeyc.org/defining-recognizing-high-quality-early-learning-programs.
Odom, S. L., Vitzum, J., Wolery, R., Lieber, J., Sandall, S., Hanson, M. J., & Horn, E. (2004). Preschool inclusion in the United States: A review of research from an ecological systems perspective. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 4, 17–49. https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1471-3802.2004.00016.x
Onchwari, G., & Keengwe, J. (2010). Teacher mentoring and early literacy learning: A case study of a mentor-coach initiative. Early Childhood Education Journal, 37, 311–317. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-009-0346-8
Prasad, P. (2005). Crafting qualitative research: Working in the post-positivist traditions. Sharpe, Inc.
Roberts, A.M., Gallagher, K.C., Sarver, S.L., & Daro, A.M. (2018). Research brief: Early childhood teacher turnover in Nebraska. The Buffet Early Childhood Institute. https://issuu.com/buffettearlychildhoodinstitute/docs/early_childhood_staff_turnover_in_n.
Rush, D. D., & Sheldon, M. L. (2020). The early childhood coaching handbook. Brookes Publishing Company.
Rush, D. D., Sheldon, M. L., & Hanft, B. E. (2003). Coaching family and colleagues: A process for collaboration in natural settings. Infants and Young Children, 16(1), 33–47.
Schachter, R. E. (2015). An analytic study of the professional development research in early childhood education. Early Education and Development, 26, 1057–1085. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2015.1009335
Stayton, V. D. (2015). Preparation of early childhood special educator’s inclusive and interdisciplinary settings. Infants and Young Children, 28(2), 113–122. https://doi.org/10.1097/IYC.0000000000000030
Storie, S., Coogle, C. G., Rahn, N., & Ottley, J. R. (2017). Distance coaching for pre-service teachers: Impacts on children’s functional communication in inclusive preschool classrooms. Early Childhood Education Journal, 45, 735–743. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-016-0824-8
Taylor, H.F., Vestal, A.R., Saperstein, D., Stafford, C., & Lambert, R.G. (2018). The early educator support, licensure, and professional development office conceptual framework: A narrative describing supporting early childhood educators as part of the North Carolina teacher evaluation process. CEME Technical Report. https://ceme.uncc.edu/ceme-technical-reports.
Wood, C. L., Goodnight, C. I., Bethune, K. S., Preston, A. I., & Cleaver, S. L. (2016). Role of professional development and multi-level coaching in promoting evidence-based practice in education. Learning Disabilities: A Contemporary Journal, 14(2), 159–170.
Funding
No funding was received for conducting this study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.
Informed consent
A statement of informed consent is included in the manuscript.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Taylor, H.F., McCorkle, L.S., Vestal, A.R. et al. “I Need You to Show Me:” Coaching Early Childhood Professionals. Early Childhood Educ J 50, 503–513 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01172-7
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01172-7