INTRODUCTIONThe concept of action research, or practitioner inquiry, as a

form of teacher professional development has been around for years (Figure 1 illustrates the inquiry process). However, we know little about what it takes to coach this process. Yet, the depth of learning that occurs for teachers and the quality of the experience is directly related to the coaching that a teacher receives. This exploratory study sought to provide initial documentation of what professional development coaches might do to help facilitate a quality inquiry experience for teachers.

RESULTS

The coaches noted four major challenges they faced and identified how they addressed those challenges:

Challenge #1: TimeTime referred to both finding time to meet and the timing of the meeting (early in the morning, after a long day of school). Within the meetings, coaches in both groups indicated that the use of protocols (See Table 2) helped make the most of time by ensuring focused, deliberate dialogue.

Challenge #2: Coaching Wondering DevelopmentCoaching the wondering, the burning question teachers have about their practice, was deemed crucial because a good question was essential for the teacher’s learning and in helping the teacher researcher sustain his/her work over time. This required a delicate balance between helping the teacher identify something s/he was passionate about and something doable in the time frame.

Challenge #3: Coaching Data AnalysisCoaching data analysis was identified as a challenge because it is something the teachers largely do on their own and often are nervous about. The coach’s role is to primarily alleviate teacher insecurities. All coaches found the Data Analysis Protocol to be helpful in this process (See Table 2).

Challenge #4: AdministrationCoaches often had to negotiate between administrative support, mandates, or restrictions and the teacher researchers. When administration was supportive, teacher interest and commitment were heightened. When support was limited or absent, getting teachers involved was often a struggle.

For additional information, please contact: Desi Krell, School of Teaching and Learning, University of Florida, dkrell@ufl.edu

Facilitating Action Research: A Study of Coaches, Their Experiences, and Their Reflections on Leading Teachers in the Process of Practitioner Inquiry



Desirae E. Krell, Nancy Fichtman Dana

Table 2. Data Analysis Protocol*

METHODSWe conducted focus group interviews with two groups of

professional development coaches who have engaged in inquiry partnerships with the university:

•An experienced group (6th year) of coaches from a consortium of rural school districts in North Florida

•A novice group (1st year) of coaches from a large school district in North Florida

The interviews were conducted using a modified version of Seidman’s (1991) phenomenological interviewing process, which categorized questions into three emphases: Focused Life History, Details of Experience, and Meaning of Experience. Though Seidman suggests conducting a separate interview for each emphasis, for our study the three interviews were condensed into one focus group interview. Table 1 summarizes the questions asked in the interviews. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. In addition to interview data, we also collected documentation used in the coaching process that the coaches were willing to provide. We analyzed this data by reading and re-reading the interview transcripts several times, as well as compiling and synthesizing all the documents.

Seidman’s Interview Categories Focus Group Interview Questions

Focused Life History(How participants became involved in education and inquiry)

Tell me about your background. What brought you to the field of education? What teaching positions have you held? What other positions, if any, have you held?How did you develop an interest in teacher professional development?How did you develop an interest in the teacher inquiry model?

Details of Experience(How participants came to understand and coach inquiry)

Describe the process of teacher inquiry as you understand it. How did you obtain your understandings of the teacher inquiry process?Tell me a little bit about the school(s) you were assigned to coach inquiry in.How many teachers did you coach in the process, and how were they selected?Describe the meetings you had with these teachers over the course of the school year. What were the purposes of each meeting, when in the year was it held, and what did you do with the teachers at these meetings?

Meaning of Experience(What successes and challenges they faced)

What do you think was the most productive meeting you had with the teachers you coach? What made this meeting the most productive?What aspects of the inquiry process would you consider the most difficult to coach? Why?Describe the preparation you had to coach the process of inquiry. What would have been helpful to know more about before you started coaching the process? What were the most rewarding aspects of coaching this school year?What were the most challenging aspects of coaching this school year?What advice would you offer future inquiry coaches?

Figure 1. Inquiry Cycle.

Data Analysis Protocol: Helping Your Colleagues Make Sense of What They Learned

 Suggested Group Size: 4Suggested Time Frame: 25 – 30 MINUTES PER GROUP MEMBER

Step One: Presenter Shares His/Her Inquiry (4 Minutes) – Presenter briefly shares with his/her group members the focus/purpose of his/her inquiry, what his/her wondering(s) were, how data were collected, and the initial sense that the presenter has made of his/her data. Completing the following sentences prior to discussion may help presenter organize his/her thoughts prior to sharing:  

• The issue/dilemma/problem/interest that led me to my inquiry was . . .• Therefore, the purpose of my inquiry was to . . .• My wondering(s) was . . .• I collected data by . . .• So far, three discoveries I’ve made from reading through my data are . . .

Step Two: Group Members Ask Clarifying Questions (3 Minutes) – Group members ask questions that have factual answers to clarify their understanding of the inquiry, such as, “How long did you collect data for?” “How many students did you work with?”

Step Three: Group Members Ask Probing Questions (7 - 10 Minutes) - The group then asks probing questions of the presenter. These questions are worded so that they help the presenter clarify and expand his/her thinking about what he/she is learning from the data. During this 10-minute time frame, the presenter may respond to the group’s questions, but there is no discussion by the group of the presenter’s responses. Every member of the group should pose at least one question of the presenter. Some examples of probing questions might include:  

a) What are some ways you might organize your data? b) What might be some powerful ways to present your data? c) Do you have any data that doesn’t seem to “fit?” d) Based on your data, what are you learning about yourself as a teacher? e) What is your data telling you about the students you teach?f) What are the implications of your findings for the content you teach?g) What have you learned about the larger context of schools and schooling?h) What are the implications of what you have learned for your teaching? i) What changes might you make in your own practice?j) What new wonderings do you have?

Step Four: Group Members Discuss The Data Analysis (6 Minutes) - The group talks with each other about the data analysis presented, discussing such questions as, “What did we hear?,” “What didn’t we hear that we think might be relevant?,” “What assumptions seem to be operating?, ” “Does any data not seem to fit with the presenter’s analysis?,” “What might be some additional ways to look at the presenter’s data?” During this discussion, members of the group work to deepen the data analysis. The presenter doesn’t speak during this discussion, but instead listens and takes notes.

Step Five: Presenter Reflection (3 Minutes) - The presenter reflects on what s/he heard and what s/he is now thinking, sharing with the group anything that particularly resonated for him or her during any part of the group members’ data analysis discussion.

Step Six: Reflection on the Process (2 Minutes) - Group shares thoughts about how the discussion worked for the group.

Table 1. Focus Group Interview Questions.

Teachers engaging in a protocol.

*Data Analysis Protocol from The Reflective Educator’s Guide to Professional Development (Dana & Yendol-Hoppey, 2008).

CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONSOur preliminary study is merely a starting point. More

research must be done to further explore the role of coach, the relationships coaches develop with coachees, and the impact coaching has on the quality of inquiry work and professional development. Through such study, the promise, problems, and possibilities associated with inquiry facilitation will be revealed, and in turn, the quality of inquiry done by teachers across the nation will be enhanced.