Abstract
A rich literature describes the efficacy of coaching programs for early care and education (ECE) teachers. ECE teachers can provide unique insights into the coaching process and several studies have described the coaching experience from the perspective of ECE teachers serving preschool-age children. However, limited data are available to describe the coaching experience from the perspective of Early Head Start (EHS) teachers caring for at-risk 1- and 2-year-old toddlers. We therefore sought to document the lived experiences of a group of EHS teachers who underwent a comprehensive coaching program so that we could compare their descriptions to (a) the intended experience of the coaching program and (b) other reports in the literature describing the lived experiences of ECE teachers who underwent coaching. We completed a series of focus groups with 23 EHS teachers who were participating in a Practice-Based Coaching program. Teachers’ descriptions of their lived experiences with coaching were recorded, transcribed, and qualitatively analyzed using the grounded theory approach. We identified four broad categories of responses: coaching strategies, relationship building, value added, and unintended consequences. We clarified the nature of these categories with additional themes and sample responses from the participants. Compared to prior focus group data, the teachers in our study more frequently described the impact of coaching on the class dynamic. We conclude by discussing considerations when coaching Early Head Start teachers.
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Because the full focus group transcripts could potentially identify an individual speaker’s identity, the raw data are not available.
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Acknowledgements
We would like the thank the teachers for sharing their personal experiences with the research team. We would also like to thank Kaitlin Worman and Claire Schuster for their assistance with the coding and analysis.
Funding
This project was funded by the Clinical & Translational Research Institute of Southeast Wisconsin. Additional funding was provided by Marquette University’s Women & Girls of Color program.
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The third author is President of the Next Door Foundation. No other authors have financial or nonfinancial conflicts of interest to declare.
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Appendix
Appendix
Introductory Script
Good afternoon. My name is {Moderator} and this is {Note Taker}. We are here today to talk to you about your experience with coaching. Each of you is an EHS Teacher and has received coaching, correct? Because you have experienced coaching first-hand, you know a lot about the coaching experience. We would like to learn from you. What have been your experiences? What do you think of coaching?
Before we start asking questions, we want to talk about our expectations for today. We are going to ask you some questions. {Note Taker} will take notes. We will record this session so that we can go back and listen to the conversation. We will not share what you say with anyone, other than our students who will help to code your responses. We will not share anyone’s specific responses. No one from {Name of Center} will hear your recording or know what you said during this meeting. We ask that everyone keep this conversation confidential, but we cannot guarantee that other teachers in this room will not share what you say. Does everyone understand? Does anyone have any questions?
I would like to go over a few pointers for today’s session. There are no wrong answers. Everyone doesn’t have to agree with each other, but we all should listen respectfully. It will be helpful if only one person talks at a time. Please silence your phone. If you do need to take a call, that is fine. Just step out of the room and come back when you are finished.
My role is to simply guide the discussion. I want you to talk to each other—not just answer to me. It’s the most fun and works the best if you all have a conversation. I may need to interrupt from time to time—I apologize for that in advance. Are there any questions?
Moderator Notes
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Serve as a facilitator—not simply questions/answers
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Sample phrases to help participants expand their thoughts include
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"Say more."
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"Would you give an example?"
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"I don't understand."
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Try to elicit thoughts and emotions
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Heilmann, J., Moyle, M., Sparrow, T. et al. Early Head Start Teachers’ Perception of Coaching Experiences. Early Childhood Educ J 50, 1233–1245 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01255-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01255-5