Date of Award

4-1-2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Dr. C. Elliott Ostler

Abstract

According to the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (1996), “…learning cannot occur in college classrooms divorced from schools” (p. 31). University coursework that is paired with carefully coordinated field experiences as well as being supported by university faculty that are skilled in helping the teacher candidate examine their practice through purposeful questioning and reflective dialogue can set the stage for developing a teacher candidate’s belief in their capabilities to reach their goals (Darling – Hammond, Hammerness, Grossman, Rust, and Shulman, 2005; Costa & Garmenston, 2002; Bandura, 1977). The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the role of the instructional coach at the pre-service level by investigating the language and response patterns that exist between a coach and teacher candidate through the use of verbal persuasion, social modeling, questioning, active listening, pausing and paraphrasing, and problem solving as a means to support a teaching candidate’s ability to reflect, revise, and implement teaching strategies that improve their practice and build their self – efficacy. This study explored the experiences of five elementary teacher candidates who were currently enrolled in a forty-hour field experience with the support of an instructional coach using semi-structured interviews and a multiple case study design. Eight themes emerged from the data and the results of this study support the efforts to reform teacher preparation programs by designing carefully constructed field experiences with the support of instructional coaches and provides insight about the development of self-efficacy and the potential of teacher candidates finding success in their first years of teaching.

Comments

A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the University of Nebraska in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education. Copyright 2017 Amanda Steiner.

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