Held to Another Standard: Teacher Perception of Prior and Current Coaching

• In Event: 30.025 - Work at the Core: Teacher Identity, Development, and Efficacy in Schools

Abstract

Coaching is a strategy employed by districts to improve teacher skill and advance student learning. Despite widespread adoption of coaching, research has not yet explored teachers' emotional responses to coaching, which may impact the success of the coaching practice. This study examines teacher perception of coaching and coinciding emotional response to coaching. Using the qualitative case study method, we examined 9 teachers across 3 schools. We found that perception and emotional response were shaped by more than the current coaching practice. Instead, teachers engaged in a mental bookkeeping process, in which perceptions of prior coaching influenced their emotional responses to current coaching.

Authors

• Margaret Smith, University of Connecticut - Storrs

• Sarah L. Woulfin, University of Connecticut