Fragilizado ao assumir riscos e ter que lidar com a instabilidade e a insegurança consequentes da busca por sua liberdade na sociedade líquido moderna e em contexto de trabalho imaterial, o indivíduo é exposto a inúmeras promessas de ferramentas de rápida solução, serviços, métodos e técnicas de desenvolvimento pessoal que prometem maior controle sobre as experiências de vida. A presente dissertação busca analisar como dilemas pessoais vivenciados em contexto de trabalho imaterial na sociedade líquido moderna são apresentados e trabalhados na perspectiva do life coaching. Trata-se de um estudo exploratório que contou com a participação de cinco profissionais que prestam o serviço de life coaching. A coleta de dados se deu através de entrevistas individuais semi-estruturadas. Para a análise dos dados foi utilizada a análise de conteúdo. A análise dos resultados foi realizada de maneira qualitativa e se deu á luz do referencial teórico sobre a sociedade líquido moderna, o trabalho imaterial, o coaching e o life coaching. Os resultados da pesquisa permitiram indicar o life coaching como serviço que busca corresponder à demanda por desenvolvimento pessoal no alcance de adaptação a mudanças, excelência em todos os domínios da vida e no ímpeto por autorrealização pessoal, características da vida líquida, através do uso de ferramentas gerencialistas originalmente empregadas para o desenvolvimento empresarial. Alinhado com a ideia de que todos devem estar em estado permanente de vigilância e de gestão de si, e mergulhado no movimento mercadológico de autoajuda e de desenvolvimento pessoal patrocinado por uma ideologia produtivista e capitalista, o life coaching mostrou-se como clara expressão da noção de produção de subjetividade, contexto característico do mundo sob hegemonia do trabalho imaterial. A oferta do serviço de life coaching se mostrou, ainda, de estruturação inconsistente. A falta de consenso apontada sobre o conhecimento de base que alicerça o coaching e a falta de regulamentação quanto à formação e premissas para atuação profissional nesta área são elementos que justificam o questionamento com relação à adequação da capacitação dos life coaches para o tratamento de dilemas pessoais em contexto de trabalho imaterial na sociedade líquido moderna. / The personal search for liberty in liquid-modern society and immaterial work context, and the consequent need to take risks and to deal with an instable and insecure environment can make one vulnerable as exposed to a countless number of tools, services, methods and techniques for personal development wich promises fast results and increased controle over life experiences. The present dissertation searches to analyse how personal dilemmas experimented in immaterial work context and in liquid-modern society are presentated and worked in the perspective of life coaching. The present study is characterized as an exploratory study and counted with the participation of five professionals who offer life coaching services. The data was collected through individual semi-structered interviews. To analyse the data the content analysis was used. The analysis of the results was developed in a qualitative way from theorical references about liquid-modern society, immaterial work, coaching and life coaching. The results of the research indicates life coaching as a sevice that utilizes management tools originaly aplicated in business devolopement, and a service that corresponds to a demand for personal development in the search for adaptation over changing situations, for excellence in all of life´s domains, and in the search for personal realization, all caracteristics of liquid life. Aligned with the idea that all should be in permanent state of awareness and self management, and deeply merged in the self-help and personal development market sponsored by productivist and capitalist ideology, life coaching is presented as a clear expression of the subjective production notion that is characteristic of a world in predominance of immaterial work. The life coaching has yet been presented as an inconsistent service in terms of it´s strucuture. In Brazil, the lack of consense pointed out over its knowledge base, the lack of regulation over the life coaching formation and the inexistence of premises for life coaching professional performance are elements that justify questioning how appropriate and adequate are life coaches´ capacitation to work out personal dilemmas in immaterial work context and in liquid-modern society.

A research report submitted to the Wits School of Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education by combination of coursework and research Johannesburg; 2015 / The purpose of this qualitative research report was to explore teacher’s views as perceptions regarding one of South Africa’s Literacy and Numeracy intervention strategy. The specific area in this regard, was to explore the two major tools that are gaining popularity within teacher development studies. These tools namely the usage of scripted lesson plans and coaches were also used in this intervention strategy to develop teachers in the selected underperforming schools throughout Gauteng Province. This research aimed to find out from six participants in two different schools how they perceived using these scripted lesson plans and having coaches in their classrooms who helped them interpret and use the lesson plans they were provided with. The research evaluates the knowledge the participants gained from this experience and once the coaches no longer visited their classrooms and schools, the teacher’s experience of using the scripted lesson plans without the coaches’ supervision. The participants in this report expressed how they appreciated the coach-mediated lesson plans provided for them in the Gauteng Primary Literacy and Mathematics Strategy program. However the participants stated problems with the pacing of the lesson plans where some teachers felt that the lesson plan pacing was too fast for their learners and how some of the activities did not fit the context of their schools. The participants stated that they had a problem with the structure of the content in the lesson plans and the fact they taught too many different concepts in one week. This they stated was confusing for the learners and themselves. With regards to the coaches mediating the lesson plans, the participants showed a sense of appreciation at having someone who would help them unpack the lesson plans, but expressed the need for the coaches to model the teaching pedagogues, which was ultimately never done, rather than just talking them through them. The attitude or interpersonal skills displayed by the coach became one of the big issues that either influenced the reception or rejection of the coaches’ presence in classrooms. The one thing all participants’ concurred on was the supply of other resources such as posters and flashcards, which they stated they found very useful as a stimulus for the learners.

Instructional coaching is designed to positively impact instructional practices, yet not enough is known about whether administrators, teachers, and instructional coaches have similar perceptions about this approach. The purpose of the case study was to examine the perceptions of administrators, teachers, and instructional coaches concerning instructional coaching, the impact instructional coaches have on instructional practices, and barriers encountered by instructional coaches. Guided by Knowles' theory of andragogy, the research questions were designed to explore the relationship between collective and individual actions of adult learners when acquiring information and learning new concepts. The case study involved a purposeful sample consisting of 3 instructional coaches, along with their administrators and teachers who work within the same school district. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire. Qualitative analysis techniques involved categorizing the data to determine themes regarding the phenomenon of instructional coaching. Identified themes included the following: assistance, receptiveness, instructional benefits, and non-evaluative role. Professional development training sessions were developed to increase administrators' awareness concerning the roles and barriers associated with instructional coaching. Implications for positive social change include increasing educators' understandings of collaborative partnerships among administrators, teachers, and instructional coaches. Such understandings may result in the use of professional learning communities to establish or maintain shared goals for improving classroom instruction and increasing student achievement.

This study examined the fidelity of implementation by four Head Start teachers using the teaching strategies of constant time delay, enhanced milieu teaching, and system of least prompts with children with and without disabilities in an inclusive early childhood setting. The teachers worked with the researcher to determine appropriate skills to target for each teaching strategy. A multiple probe across behaviors design replicated across four teachers was used to determine the effects of teachers’ fidelity of implementation of evidence-based teaching strategies. The results showed that Head Start teachers could implement systematic teaching strategies with fidelity. The study also examined if children with and without disabilities can make progress towards their target skills. The results showed that children were able to make progress towards their target skills.

ABSTRACT Narrative conflict coaching is a counseling technique which focuses on separating clients from their problems and encouraging them to see their lives and futures from new perspectives. It has been used in a variety of arenas and is consistent with other practices within the field of narrative conflict resolution, such as narrative mediation. In this project I utilized qualitative research methods to analyze the immediate effectiveness of conflict coaching questioning techniques within the setting of a counseling conversation. The analysis focuses on the detail of the process of narrative conflict coaching more than on the final outcomes. The data was collected through two different conflict coaching conversations, one of which was about a conflict in a work context and one in a family context. The conversational data collected was compared with a set of detailed guidelines for narrative conflict coaching specified by Dr. John Winslade and the question that was asked was whether the conflict coaching process corresponded with these guidelines. The data confirmed that this was the case and also showed some indicators of the effectiveness of narrative conflict coaching techniques through documenting the participants’ responses to each of the steps in the process. Analysis of discursive positioning from statements early in each of the conversations and also from late in each conversation indicated positioning shifts in the direction of creating an alternative narrative into which the participants might live. Both participants were shown to reach a place of difference in perspective in relation to the conflict story. It is therefore argued that the guidelines for a conflict coaching process are adaptable in at least two different areas of life. It cannot yet be generalized to all areas of conflict but looks promising for multiple personal conflict situations.

Poverty is known to affect many areas of life for poor children, particularly young children’s language development. To address language development issues as well as other educational needs, the Head Start Program was created. The purpose of this sequential mixed-methods study was to describe the professional development experiences of Head Start teachers on language modeling. In addition, this study sought to explore teachers’ views on language modeling and the activities they find most effective to support student learning. Analysis of the data revealed that teachers wanted more training and workshops, to be paired with a mentor/coach, pay raises for achieving higher education, strategies for working with children, and encouragement from administration to effectively achieve their professional development plans and goals. Additionally, teachers demonstrated an understanding of the importance of language modeling for children to build vocabulary, to improve school readiness goals, and to communicate and express their needs. Finally, teachers felt very strongly that they use frequent conversations, wait for student responses during conversations, use back and forth conversations, encourage peer conversations, use more than one word as well as a variety of words to support children’s language development. Findings from this study may be utilized to provide the necessary support teachers need to improve their language modeling skills and to help programs in their planning and evaluation of an ongoing professional development model. This study adds to the literature on bridging the gap between learning about practices and using them in the classroom to improve children’s language development by including teacher voices into their professional development and how to effectively implement coaching practices to promote teacher knowledge and skills.

The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between early intervention providers’ backgrounds, and their perceptions of caregiver coaching and auditory skill development, to develop professional development programs. An explanatory sequential design was used with participants of varying backgrounds and experience. In the first phase of the study, participants responded to a survey regarding their educational background, and their comfort with caregiver coaching and auditory skill development. Survey results were analyzed using Spearman’s Ranked Correlational Coefficient (Spearman’s rs) to form groups of participants from extreme cases. The second phase of the study consisted of participant interviews from each of the groups. Interviews were coded to identify themes present within and between groups. The information from both phases were analyzed to generate how professional preparation and certifications influence service delivery. Results were subsequently analyzed to determine potential improvements in the EI system, professional development, and policy.

In early childhood centers, students with disabilities are being suspended and expelled, leaving them with no place to attend school to learn with their peers or to receive early intervention special education services. This study was designed to determine the effects of coaching on the number of suspensions and expulsions of students with disabilities attending early childhood centers. The framework for this study was based on the theory of Conjoint Behavioral Coaching. The research question was: What are the effects of a coaching intervention by early intervention teachers to early childhood teachers on the number of suspensions and expulsions of students with disabilities? A quasi-experimental design was used with data collected from a sample of 27 early childhood centers. The intervention consisted of pairing each early childhood teacher with an early intervention teacher to complete the coaching process. A t-test was utilized to determine a significant difference between pre- and post-suspension and expulsion data. A statistically significant difference was found in suspension and expulsion rates after the coaching intervention was utilized. The coaching appears to provide support for the early childhood teachers so that they are less inclined to suspend or expel students with disabilities from their classrooms. Implications for social change included reducing the high number of suspensions and expulsions in early childhood settings so that students with disabilities were able to remain in their educational setting with their peers who do not have disabilities.

Although many academically underprepared students are able to attend community colleges via open access policies, these students struggle with completing their degrees. At a rural community college in the southeastern United States, students who tested into developmental education courses have struggled more with persistence and completion than have their college-ready counterparts. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to evaluate the influence that student coaching had on student success in developmental math at this community college. Tinto's dropout theory and Astin's engagement theory provided the theoretical framework for a study of 62 developmental math students who were offered student coaching services during the course. Multiple one-way ANOVAs were performed to determine if student coaching had any influence on the dependent COMPASS test scores based on students' level of participation with the service. Students who participated in 0-2 coaching sessions (n = 32) had statistically significantly lower COMPASS test scores than students who participated in 3 or more coaching sessions (n = 30). None of the demographic characteristics had an effect on coaching participation. An evidence-based project designed to enhance coaching participation is offered to increase student persistence and completion. Implications for positive social change include increased success rates in developmental courses which should lead to increased persistence. Positive social change occurs when students are able to achieve incremental successes in their developmental courses, which could better leverage them to achieve subsequent higher education goals of degree completion and to pursue careers with better salaries associated with higher education completers.

In a co-teaching model of student teaching, mentor teachers are presented with opportunities for professional growth because extensive collaboration occurs with the teacher candidate throughout the process. Despite the proliferation of co-teaching programs, mentor teachers often lack formal training for their role. Further, insufficient evidence fails to show how collaboration between mentor and candidate contributes to professional growth for the mentor. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine such growth in 9 mentor teachers who hosted teacher candidates during 1 semester of student teaching to determine how a co-teaching model affected mentor teachers' own teaching and mentoring skills. Professional growth was examined through Wenger's 4 components for situated learning. Research questions focused on mentor teachers' initial expectations about their roles, their identity and growth, and the application of their learning and growth when teaching. At the end of student teaching, mentor teachers participated in a series of 3 interviews based in phenomenological techniques. Their responses were coded using an inductive approach. Identified themes included mentor teacher experience, communities of practice, actions during student teaching, and mentor teachers' reflection on the role. Key findings were that all mentor teachers reported that they grew in practice, but not all developed their coaching and mentoring skills, and some focused on transmission of content and skills rather than candidate transformation. The findings of this study may influence positive social change to ensure that educator preparation assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 student learning through mutually beneficial partnerships.