Exploring the Lived Experiences of Exemplary National Blue Ribbon Elementary School Principals

162 Pages·2017·1.54 MB·English

Brandman University
Brandman Digital Repository
Dissertations
Fall 12-21-2016
Exploring the Lived Experiences of Exemplary
National Blue Ribbon Elementary School
Principals in Improving Student Learning Trough
Efective Coaching Conversations With Teir
Teachers: A Phenomenological Study
Colleen Flavin
Brandman University,
Exploring the Lived Experiences of Exemplary National Blue Ribbon Elementary School
Principals in Improving Student Learning Through Effective Coaching Conversations
With Their Teachers: A Phenomenological Study
A Dissertation by
Colleen Flavin

Brandman University
Irvine, California
School of Education
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership
December 2016

Committee in charge:
Philip Pendley Chair, Ed.D., Committee Chair
Martinrex Kedziora, Ed.D.
Emily Shaw, Ed.D.
Exploring the Lived Experiences of Exemplary National Blue Ribbon Elementary School
Principals in Improving Student Learning Through Effective Coaching Conversations
With Their Teachers: A Phenomenological Study
Copyright © 2016
by Colleen Flavin

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I owe my sincerest gratitude to so many who have supported, guided and coached
me through this life-changing journey. The last 2.5 years have been exciting,
challenging, and empowering and have resulted in incredible personal growth and
discovery.
To start, my deepest gratitude to the distinguished members of my dissertation
committee: Dr. Philip Pendley, Dr. Martinrex Kedziora, and Dr. Emily Shaw. Each of
these experts provided ongoing support. Each made him or herself available for ongoing
discussion, moral support, and explicit coaching on the dissertation process. Dr.
Pendley’s ongoing encouragement and commitment to excellence inspired and motivated
me to persevere during challenges while providing me with an opportunity to learn from
one of the greatest coaches in the field of education. Because of Dr. Kedziora’s passion
for improving teacher quality through the transformation of leadership, I am forever
indebted to his steadfast belief in my practice and his honest and inspiring love for the
field of education, truly contagious. Dr. Shaw provided a constant light at the end of this
journey through immediate and specific feedback, words of praise, and a tender heart.
Her wisdom in the dissertation journey gave great insight through each step of the
process.
To the Menifee Cohort, your friendship and collegiality through this process has
made it an honor and privilege to walk through this journey with you. I am both humbled
and inspired by our collective growth through this process. I would like to extend my
deep and heartfelt gratitude to Kristi Watson, my partner through this process. I was
never alone in this process because of you. I will never be alone because of you. This
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journey has strengthened our professional and personal friendship exponentially, one of
the greatest gifts I have received because of this experience.
Most importantly, I extend my deepest thanks to my family. First, I am especially
grateful for my mom, Susan Borrelli. My mom made countless trips across the country
to help me balance the demands of the doctoral program. Her unwavering support has
and always will be the reason for each accomplishment in my life. Her modeling of hard
work and commitment to excellence has been at the heart of my decision to pursue a
doctorate from start to finish. Thank you, Mom. I love you. To my husband, Michael
Harte, your patience and understanding through this process have provided me the
strength needed to navigate the last 2.5 years. Additionally, your belief in me to tackle
any challenge that comes my way has inspired me to continue to face challenges knowing
success can and will be obtained. Your eagerness to listen to every detail of my progress
with an open heart and mind and your understanding of my absence while I pursued this
dream bring deep appreciation to my soul. I am forever grateful for you. With all of my
heart, I thank my children, Veronica and Isabelle. Because of you, I dream big and work
tirelessly to obtain those dreams. Because of you VV and Iz, I believe in making the
world a better place, knowing that as you grow each day you too will make the world
better. Your love notes, sticky notes of encouragement, and constant hugs and kisses
gave mommy everything she needed accomplish this dream. Thank you VV and Iz, I
love you most.

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ABSTRACT
Exploring the Lived Experiences of Exemplary National Blue Ribbon Elementary School
Principals in Improving Student Learning Through Effective Coaching Conversations
With Their Teachers: A Phenomenological Study
by Colleen Flavin
Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover and describe how
exemplary National Blue Ribbon elementary school principals improve student learning
through effective coaching conversations with their teachers. A second purpose was to
explore the barriers they encountered to holding these conversations and the actions they
took to overcome these barriers.
Methodology: This qualitative study utilized a phenomenological design. The primary
source of data collection was a standardized o pen-ended interview aligned to the research
questions of 12 participants. This study employed inductive analysis to analyze the rich
data. Using inductive analysis, the data were coded and themes were identified that
aligned to the research questions.
Findings: Analysis of the data revealed that exemplary National Blue Ribbon elementary
school principals used coaching conversations to improve student learning. Participants
identified using powerful questioning, building trusting relationships, being cl ose to
teaching and learning, listening, providing nondisciplinary/nonthreatening specific
feedback that promotes action and assuming the teacher is a professional as ways they
develop coaching conversations with teachers. Four barriers to holding coachin g
conversations were identified and included the following: time, teacher reluctance
/resistance, lack of teacher skill/performance, and lack of administrative support.
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Additionally, the following were identified as actions to overcome the barriers: honesty,
increasing support, positive reinforcement, scheduling time on calendar to engage in
coaching conversations, and peer pressure.
Conclusions: The researcher concluded that effective coaching conversations improve
student learning as they experience better relationships with their teachers that can serve
as a catalyst to transform a school culture focused on growth for principals, teachers, and
students. Principals who were able to identify and address barriers to coaching
conversations improved the overall teaching quality at their schools. Effective coaching
conversations are situational and the tenants of the conversations are interrelated while
drawing both principal and teacher experience and need.
Recommendations: Seven areas of further research were recommended to increase the
body of knowledge related to these variables.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 1
Background ......................................................................................................................... 3
Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................. 4
Teacher Evaluation ....................................................................................................... 4
Principal perceptions of teacher evaluation. ........................................................... 7
Teacher perceptions of teacher evaluation. ............................................................. 8
Coaching ....................................................................................................................... 9
Coaching Conversations ............................................................................................... 9
The National Blue Ribbon School .............................................................................. 11
The Gap in Research: A Need to Examine Coaching Conversations ......................... 11
Statement of the Research Problem .................................................................................. 12
Purpose Statement ............................................................................................................. 13
Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 14
Central Question ......................................................................................................... 14
Subquestions ............................................................................................................... 14
Significance of the Problem .............................................................................................. 14
Definitions......................................................................................................................... 17
Delimitations ..................................................................................................................... 19
Organization of the Study ................................................................................................. 19
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .......................................................... 21
Theoretical Framework ..................................................................................................... 21
Teacher Supervision and Evaluation ................................................................................ 23
The Evolution of Teacher Supervision and Evaluation .............................................. 24
Purpose of Supervision and Evaluation ...................................................................... 32
Principal Perspective of Teacher Supervision and Evaluation ................................... 34
Teacher Perspective of Teacher Supervision and Evaluation ..................................... 36
Coaching ........................................................................................................................... 38
Characteristics of the Coaching in Schools ................................................................ 41
Principals as Coaches .................................................................................................. 43
Coaching Conversations ............................................................................................. 44
Committed listening. ............................................................................................. 45
Paraphrasing. ......................................................................................................... 45
Presuming positive intent and asking powerful questions. ................................... 46
Reflective feedback. .............................................................................................. 46
Summary: Coaching Conversations ............................................................................ 47
National Blue Ribbon Schools .......................................................................................... 47
Summary ........................................................................................................................... 50
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY .................................................................................. 53
Overview ........................................................................................................................... 53
Purpose Statement ............................................................................................................. 53
Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 53
Central Question ......................................................................................................... 54
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Subquestions ............................................................................................................... 54
Research Design................................................................................................................ 54
Population ......................................................................................................................... 56
Target Population .............................................................................................................. 57
Sample............................................................................................................................... 57
Sample Selection Process ................................................................................................. 59
Instrumentation ................................................................................................................. 60
Reliability .................................................................................................................... 61
Pilot Test ..................................................................................................................... 62
Validity ....................................................................................................................... 63
Data Collection ................................................................................................................. 64
Data Analysis .................................................................................................................... 66
Documenting Data Collection..................................................................................... 67
Coding and Categorizing the Data .............................................................................. 67
Identifying Themes and Patterns ................................................................................ 68
Limitations ........................................................................................................................ 69
Summary ........................................................................................................................... 71
CHAPTER IV: RESEARCH, DATA COLLECTION, AND FINDINGS....................... 72
Overview ........................................................................................................................... 72
Purpose .............................................................................................................................. 72
Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 72
Central Question ......................................................................................................... 72
Subquestions ............................................................................................................... 73
Research Methods and Data Collection Procedures ......................................................... 73
Population and Sample ..................................................................................................... 74
Presentation of the Data .................................................................................................... 75
Research Subquestion 1 .............................................................................................. 75
Use powerful questioning. .................................................................................... 76
Build trusting relationships. .................................................................................. 78
Be close to teaching and learning. ........................................................................ 79
Provide nondisciplinary/nonthreatening specific feedback that promotes action. 81
Listen..................................................................................................................... 83
Assume the teacher is a professional. ................................................................... 85
Research Subquestion 2 .............................................................................................. 86
Time. ..................................................................................................................... 86
Teacher resistance/reluctance. .............................................................................. 88
Lack of teacher skill/performance. ....................................................................... 89
Lack of administrative support (assistant principal). ............................................ 90
Research Subquestion 3 .............................................................................................. 92
Honesty. ................................................................................................................ 93
Increase support. ................................................................................................... 94
Positive reinforcement. ......................................................................................... 96
Schedule time on calendar to engage in coaching conversations. ........................ 97
Peer pressure. ........................................................................................................ 98
Summary ......................................................................................................................... 100
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