The effectiveness of Instructional Coaching in promoting collaborative learning practice among teachers in secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur

Abstract

Instructional Coaching as an on-going, based on one-on-one or small group professional development, is expected to assist teachers in the Professional Learning Community efforts to encourage teachers’ life-long learning. This study investigates the effectiveness of instructional coaching in promoting collaborative learning among teachers in public secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur. A survey was conducted amongst Mathematics, English Language and Bahasa Malaysia teachers who were involved in collaborative learning led by instructional coaches. The 342 respondents involved in the study are from two groups. The first group consists of teachers who received personal instructional coaching from the Instructional Coaches, and the second group are those who were facilitated and guided through group sessions led by an Instructional Coach. The objective of this survey is to assess the collaborative working culture among teachers in secondary schools, to examine the relationship between instructional coaching practice and teacher collaborative learning and to investigate the impact of Instructional Coaching on teacher learning, which is considered as part of their professional development. The outcome indicates that the coached teachers, as compared to the un-coached ones demonstrated a significantly higher mean in the collaborative attitude and the impact on professional development. The components of Instructional Coaching prescribed in the study i.e. Interpersonal Relation, Resources, Motivation, Feedback, and Modelling were significantly correlated with the Teacher Learning. In addition, the Modelling and Motivation elements possessed by the coaches in collaborative practices are identified as the main critical predictors for the Teacher Learning.