Background/Purpose
Reflection has been one of the critical components of teacher education and many strategies to facilitate reflection have been explored. Recently, researchers focused on the social nature of reflection rather than considering it as solitary experience. Peer coaching is one way to engage colleague who serves to validate, extend, or reject what one thinks through interaction. The purpose of this study was to examine the roles of peer coaching in reflection and teacher candidates' reflectivity on peer coaching experience during their micro-teaching experience.
Method
Participants were selected from a pool of 30 students who were enrolled in the secondary physical education methods course in a university located in Seoul, Korea. Five pairs of coach and coachees (n=10) who agreed to participate in the study were selected. Data were collected from reflective journal entries, peer coaching evaluation forms, recordings of peer coaching sessions, and interviews with participants. Member check and data source triangulation were used to enhance the trustworthiness of data.
Analysis/Results
Data were analyzed inductively by individual and cross-case analysis. Teacher candidates perceived that peer coaching facilitated their reflection by: (a) helping them to face and deal with barriers to reflection, (b) connecting planning, instruction, and reflection, (c) providing three-dimensional perspectives. Teacher candidates' reflectivity on the peer coaching experience was categorized into (a) reiteration and acceptance, (b) reflective confrontation, and (c) adjustment and re-aiming.
Conclusions
The findings supported that peer coaching can be a viable tool for promoting teacher candidates' reflection in addition to instructional skill development.
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