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Dissertation
What matters most: a phenomenological study exploring the lasting effects of instructional coaching on teaching practices
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Drexel University
Dec 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011238
Abstract
Teachers are in critical need of personalized professional development to meet their students' high academic demands. Schools face the challenge of retaining high-quality teachers and influencing pedagogical practices. Instructional coaches are skilled professionals who provide individualized attention, build teacher capacity, and develop highly effective teachers. Education, however, is largely driven by the bottom line. The instructional coach position is the first to be eliminated due to budgetary restrictions in the post-COVID-19 educational landscape. Therefore, it becomes paramount to understand the salient features of the coaching experience and identify which aspects are most impactful in fostering lasting improvements in teaching practices and professional growth. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore teacher perspectives on the impact of instructional coaching on teaching practices and identify which aspects of the coaching experience they found most influential. The study explored the lived experiences of teachers a year after their final instructional coaching cycle, allowing insight into how the essence of coaching continued within their professional selves. This unique distance revealed which aspects of coaching became part of their internalized practice and how those learnings transferred within new teaching contexts. Findings revealed that teachers experienced instructional coaching as technically, emotionally, and professionally transformative. They identified targeted instructional scaffolding, cross-school knowledge sharing, and relational trust as the most influential components of coaching. These elements strengthened their instructional decision-making abilities, increased their confidence, and fostered collective efficacy across teams and buildings. Teachers described coaching as a form of ongoing professional learning that continued to shape their practice across new grade levels, content areas, and student needs. Teachers described coaching as a catalyst that enabled them to unpack and implement new curriculum, differentiate instruction, and improve classroom management while enhancing their ability to problem-solve in real time. These findings reaffirm that coaching is a sustained, job-embedded, professional development model whose impact surpasses traditional workshops. They underscore the importance of aligning professional development with adult learning principles and call for districts to design innovative coaching structures that address the specific needs of their teaching staff.
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Details
- Title
- What matters most
- Creators
- Puja Daga
- Contributors
- Sheila R. Vaidya (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University
- Number of pages
- 168 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- School of Education (1997-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991022148507304721