Author

Shannon White

Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Doug Eury

Abstract

This dissertation was designed to examine the impact of instructional coaching on the self-efficacy of beginning teachers in the facilitation of student learning. Beginning teachers are still learning their craft when they enter the teaching profession. Research indicates that schools are losing beginning teachers before they have adequately developed their abilities. Many systems are providing support to beginning teachers through mentoring and instructional coaching. It is essential that schools support beginning teachers as they hone their abilities to facilitate learning in their classrooms. To best meet the needs of beginning teachers, an understanding of best practices for coaching needs to be developed. This case study utilized the mixed-methods approach to collect and analyze data to advance an understanding of how instructional coaching impacts the facilitation of learning for beginning teachers. In order to gather data to determine the impact of instructional coaching, the following data collection tools were utilized: teacher surveys, focus groups, and individual teacher interviews. Quantitative data gathered from survey responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics, primarily frequency distributions, mean scores, and percent positive by item, element, and construct; the researcher also chose to cross tabulate specific items to better understand correlations. Qualitative data were gathered from individual interviews and compared to find areas of convergence. The data suggest that beginning teachers perceive that working with instructional coach mentors has a positive impact on their own self-efficacy. Additionally, beginning teacher responses indicated that more time with their coaches would be helpful, but more focused time with their coaches would also be of benefit. The findings can be used by districts to assess and inform their own mentoring and induction programs.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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