Coaching for early childhood educators: exploring pathways of learning and change

Coaching appears to be an effective form of professional development, yet how learning and change occur, in what order, and what role coaching plays in change are not well understood. We used the interconnected model of professional growth to analyze two case studies of coaching in early childhood education services in Australia. We found that, of the two mechanisms of change proposed by the model, reflection occurred more often. Change sequences varied within and between cases, and we found that changes in knowledge, beliefs, or attitudes can occur before or after changes in practice. However, reflecting on practice and its consequences appeared to be important for consolidating change. The variation in pathways of change suggests a complex interplay of context, individual characteristics, and content influenced the outcomes of coaching, although content may have played a more important role. The findings suggest that a strength of coaching is its flexibility to respond to the diversity of educators, content, and contexts, supporting them to change via various pathways over time. The findings indicate that further research is needed to define and explore the processes and mechanisms within coaching that drive learning and change for early childhood educators.