Educational Leadership Coaches' Development of Domain Specific Expertise: A Phenomenological Study

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Lewis, J. (2015). Educational Leadership Coaches' Development of Domain Specific Expertise: A Phenomenological Study. Unc Charlotte Electronic Theses And Dissertations.
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Abstract

Districts and schools having high poverty and low achievement experience the highest rates of administrator turnover. A recent paradigm shift promotes "coaching" as a supportive and focused intervention that might move the district and/or school forward. Leadership coaches , possessing specialized expertise in addressing school achievement "turnaround" and apparent leadership "failures", may be enlisted to coach these administrators. This study examined how leadership coaches working with superintendents and principals in k-12 education developed expertise over time, specifically through deliberate practice and reflective practice. This study investigated the following questions: (a) how did coaches engage deliberate practice to develop domain specific expertise, and (b) how did coaches engage reflective practice to develop domain specific expertise? A phenomenological study using data from comprehensive interviews, background information shared by the coaches and a coaching career mapping exercise performed by the coaches, was conducted. Five leadership coaches participated in the study. Data were coded, thematized, and triangulated. Three emergent themes were found which contributed to domain specific expertise through deliberate and reflective practices: 1) knowledge base; 2) building relationships; and 3) personal development. While there was no attempt to qualify any participant coach as an expert or not, based on these participants’ experience the composite portrait of a coach derived from a synthesis of all responses indicates some confirmation of the role of deliberate practices (skills, strategies and tools) and deliberate reflection as developing expertise.

Details
Author

Lewis, Janice

Title

Educational Leadership Coaches' Development of Domain Specific Expertise: A Phenomenological Study

Physical Description

1 online resource (128 pages) : PDF

Date

2015

Degree Granting Institution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

Districts and schools having high poverty and low achievement experience the highest rates of administrator turnover. A recent paradigm shift promotes "coaching" as a supportive and focused intervention that might move the district and/or school forward. Leadership coaches , possessing specialized expertise in addressing school achievement "turnaround" and apparent leadership "failures", may be enlisted to coach these administrators. This study examined how leadership coaches working with superintendents and principals in k-12 education developed expertise over time, specifically through deliberate practice and reflective practice. This study investigated the following questions: (a) how did coaches engage deliberate practice to develop domain specific expertise, and (b) how did coaches engage reflective practice to develop domain specific expertise? A phenomenological study using data from comprehensive interviews, background information shared by the coaches and a coaching career mapping exercise performed by the coaches, was conducted. Five leadership coaches participated in the study. Data were coded, thematized, and triangulated. Three emergent themes were found which contributed to domain specific expertise through deliberate and reflective practices: 1) knowledge base; 2) building relationships; and 3) personal development. While there was no attempt to qualify any participant coach as an expert or not, based on these participants’ experience the composite portrait of a coach derived from a synthesis of all responses indicates some confirmation of the role of deliberate practices (skills, strategies and tools) and deliberate reflection as developing expertise.

Genre

doctoral dissertations

Subjects--Topics

Educational leadership
Educational evaluation
School management and organization

Degree

D.Ed.

Keywords

Coaching Principal
Coaching Superintendents
Deliberate Practice
Expert Performance
Leadership Coaching

Subject Area

Educational Leadership

Advisor(s)

Driscoll, Lisa
Lyons, James

Committee Members

Lock, Corey
Watson, Jim
Hutchison, Charles

Degree Note

Thesis (D.Ed.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2015.

Rights Statement

This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). For additional information, see http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/.

Rights Holder Information

Copyright is held by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Identifier

Lewis_uncc_0694D_10892

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:848