Effects of Peer Coaching on Teachers' Collaborative Interactions and Students' Mathematics Achievement

• Published in: The Journal of educational research (Washington, D.C.) Vol. 102; no. 3; pp. 203 - 212
• Main Authors: Murray, Sarah, Ma, Xin, Mazur, Joan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA Heldref 01.01.2009; Heldref Publications; Taylor & Francis; Taylor & Francis Inc
• Subjects: Barriers; Biological and medical sciences; Classroom communication; Classroom observation; Classroom observations; Classroom Techniques; Coaching; Coaching (Performance); Collaboration; collaborative interactions; College Faculty; College students; Colleges & universities; Comparative studies; Conferences; Control Groups; Cooperative learning; Educational psychology; Elementary School Teachers; Faculty Development; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Kentucky; Learning; Mathematics; Mathematics Achievement; Mathematics education; Mathematics Instruction; Mathematics teachers; Mentoring; Mentors; peer coaching; Peer relations; Peers; Professional development; Program Effectiveness; Program Evaluation; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Pupil and student. Academic achievement and failure; R&D; Research & development; Research design; Science activities; Secondary School Teachers; Social interaction; Students; Summer Programs; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Collaboration; Teachers; Teaching; Teaching Methods; Tone; Kentucky; United States > US; Thousand Oaks California; Human; Academic achievement; Peer relation; Coaching; Teacher pupil relation; Secondary education; mathematics achievement; Mathematics; collaborative interactions; peer coaching; Social interaction; Cooperation; Adolescent
• ISSN: 0022-0671; 1940-0675
• DOI: 10.3200/JOER.102.3.203-212

The authors examined peer coaching in the context of the Mentored Implementation Program developed in the Appalachian Mathematics and Science Partnership. The experimental design contained 6 teachers receiving peer coaching with their 202 students and 5 teachers in the control group with their 105 students. Teachers considered peer coaching a positive experience, identifying scheduling and distance as roadblocks. Centering around (a) organization of learning, (b) management of classroom, and (c) mathematical content and pedagogy, collaborative interactions during the post-classroom-observation conferences were brief and showed (a) a lack of analysis, (b) a positive tone and support, (c) a proportional pattern of talk, and (d) a lack of depth in discussion. Peer coaching was not associated with any improvement in mathematics achievement of students.