Volume 2 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal of K-12 Educational Research - Page 42

40 tions, the theme Conversation emerged. All twelve participants indicated that conversations consistently took place as part of the instructional coaching experience. Eight out of twelve partic - ipants referenced very specific conversations with their coach in which topics and strategies aligned to the teachers’ specific needs were discussed. In addition, the participants indicated they engaged in conversations with their coach regarding instructional strategies and methods applicable to their instruction. Experience The theme Experience was another theme that emerged. All twelve participants either directly or indirectly stated that the experiences of their instructional coach had an impact on their instructional coaching experience. Specifically, the experiences that were noted by the participants as helpful included common experiences in grade levels, common content areas and instruc- tional practices, as well as familiarity with logistical expectations, district expectations, parent conferencing, and completing report cards. Noteworthy is one example that indicated an opposite impact on the coaching experience. One participant indicated that the coach did not have experience in the teacher’s content area which made it more challenging for the instructional coach to offer assistance in some cases. The sub-theme Resourceful emerged from the theme Expe- rience . All twelve participants provided descriptions or state - ments that suggests their instructional coach was resourceful. Specifically, the participants indicated the instructional coaches were resourceful because they knew the answers to questions, knew where to find answers to questions, provided ideas, created resources, or shared resources. Relationship When asking what the participants enjoyed most about instruc - tional coaching, the theme Relationship emerged. All twelve participants indicated they enjoyed the relationship built be - tween themselves and their instructional coach. The participants described their relationship with their coach as personal, friendly, encouraging, supportive, and trusting. In addition, the participants indicated they could count on their coach, could ask their coach anything, and could rely on their coach to listen. Four sub-themes were created within the theme including: Avail - ability, Encouragement, Personal, and Trust. Eight out of the twelve participants indicated that the Avail- ability of the instructional coach was a valued part of their rela- tionship. The eight participants shared their instructional coach was readily available to answer questions. Eight out of the twelve participants indicated that a valued component of their relation- ship with their instructional coach was the Encouragement they received from their instructional coach. When describing their relationship with their instructional coach, six out of twelve participants indicated that the relation- ship was Personal. The participants shared that they knew they could talk with their coach about anything including personal matters, complaints, or failures. Trust emerged as a fourth sub-theme for Relationship. Ten out of twelve participants indicated that trust existed between themselves and their instructional coach. The participants shared they felt safe and that they could be open and honest with their instructional coach without fear of judgement. In addition, the participants indicated they felt their instructional coach under- stood them and wanted to help them. Support When analyzing the interview data from the participants, the theme Support emerged. Ten out of twelve participants indicated that support was readily available from their coach. Specifically, they shared the support they received was consistent and aligned to their professional needs and was often provided through feed- back and modeling. Noteworthy is one participant’s response which indicated the support received was not consistent through the end of the school year; more support was given at the beginning of the year and less at the end of the year. Also noteworthy is a participant’s response which indicated that support from the instructional coach could have been better if the instructional coach had been familiar with the focus area of the teacher. Future Implications The final interview question asked participants to describe how their next school year will be different as a result of their par - ticipation with instructional coaching. Overall, the participants reported positive expectations for the following school year. The participants’ responses varied from a general increase in confi - dence to very specific expectations for increased confidence in the areas of: classroom management, reader’s workshop, writer’s June Ritchlin, Ed.D.