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Examining Coaching Skill Development During Preservice Teachers’ (PSTs) Internships

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Abstract

Research shows that effective and high-quality instructional coaching that targets teacher-child interactions can improve the classroom quality, increase teacher job satisfaction, reduce attrition, and even improve young children’s development, such as social emotional development, and literacy skills. Coaches likely develop and sharpen their communication, leadership, coaching, and reflective skills, as well as their sense of professional identity over time. Thus, the current study uses data gathered from instructional coaches and their preservice teachers (PSTs) during their internships to explore (1) the dynamic process of how coaches develop their professional competency in an empirically validated coaching program, and (2) the elements of high-quality, effective coaching with PSTs. After analyzing transcriptions of two interviews with 11 instructional coaches, four themes were found that supported the MMCI Coach’s Professional Competency Development: Deepened understanding of the Teaching through Interactions Framework, Increased sense of professional identity, Sharpened coaching skills, and Enhanced mentor–mentee relationships.

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Acknowledgements

The study and the preparation of the manuscript were supported by the Macao Tong Chai Charity Association Grant (No. EF013/FED-HBY/2018/MTCCA). The authors of this paper deeply appreciate the support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, University of Macau, Macao, China

    Bi Ying Hu & Yijie Su

  2. Zhuhai YungWing International Kindergarten, Zhuhai, China

    Xiaohua Liu

  3. Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China

    Mengyang He

  4. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA

    Jennifer LoCasale-Crouch

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  1. Bi Ying Hu
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  2. Yijie Su
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Appendix: Interview Questions

Appendix: Interview Questions

  1. 1.

    To understand the role identity of coaches, we asked: At the beginning of coaching, to what extent do you think you are competent for the job? To what extent do you think you are competent for the job now? How have you changed philosophically and behaviorally from the beginning to the present in terms of coaching practice?

  2. 2.

    To understand coaches’ knowledge about TTI, we asked: Did you change your understanding of the TTI during the coaching process? How did this change happen? What is your new understanding of the TTI and the associated CLASS tool?

  3. 3.

    To understand coaches’ use of strategies in coaching, we asked: What coaching strategies do you think are useful for promoting students' understanding? And how do they work? What do you think you do the best in your current coaching practice?

  4. 4.

    To understand coach–PSTs relationships, we asked: What kind of relationship did you establish with your mentee during the coaching?” What was the most memorable discussion that happened between you and your mentee in coaching?

The second interviews, also consisting of four components, were conducted after the complete coaching cycle, so as to respond to the coaches’ professional development.

  1. 1.

    Compared to your initial goals, to what extent do you think you have accomplished your goals as a coach? How would you rate your level of competency as a coach? What do you think is the most significant outcome of this coaching program for you? If you rate the overall effectiveness of this coaching on a scale from 1 to 10, what score would you give and why?

  2. 2.

    Can you share your feelings about each dimension of coaching? Which dimensions do you think are relatively easier to conduct during coaching and why? Which dimensions do you think are relatively more difficult to conduct during coaching and why?

  3. 3.

    During which stage of coaching did the students demonstrate behavioral changes in teaching as a result of your coaching? What constitute the specific changes? How do you think these changes happened? Compared to the last interview, what has changed in terms of your coaching style or strategies?

  4. 4.

    What words would you use to describe your relationship with PSTs? What do you think is the most important factor when comes to effectively communicating with PSTs? What are your experiences toward building good relationships with PSTs?

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Hu, B.Y., Su, Y., Liu, X. et al. Examining Coaching Skill Development During Preservice Teachers’ (PSTs) Internships. Early Childhood Educ J 51, 939–953 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-022-01352-z

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