- 131 views
- 215 downloads
Building Capacity Through Connection: Coaching in Early Learning and Care
-
- Author / Creator
- Oslie, Vanessa
-
Many evidence-based programs have been established to foster and support the development of quality early education for children, however methods to transfer these programs to community practice have not been well established. Recently, coaching has emerged as an alternative to traditional professional development in an effort to transfer the benefits from research efficacy trials to community early childhood settings (Powell & Diamond, 2013). Although coaching has demonstrated effectiveness (e.g., Sheridan et al., 2010), few studies have explored the aspects of coaching that may have led to positive outcomes (Downer, 2013). The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain a deeper understanding of the practice of coaching within the context of ELC settings through an in-depth exploration of early educators’ experiences of being coached. Seven female early educators were purposefully sampled and interviewed about their coaching experiences. Responses were audio-recorded and transcribed, and basic interpretative analysis guided the development of codes and categories. Early educators described coaching as a gradual process of opening up to the experience while navigating complex organizational components. Educators’ description of the coaching experience also included reflections on the impact of coaching such as enhanced relationships, richer learning environments, child growth and development, and strengthened professional identities. The results from this study provide an understanding of the complex and unique environments experienced by early educators, serve to endorse coaching as a viable means of improving early education contexts, and link the process of being coached to the “intensely personal activity” (Merriam, 2020, p. ix) of learning in adulthood.
-
- Graduation date
- Fall 2020
-
- Type of Item
- Thesis
-
- Degree
- Master of Education
-
- License
- Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission.