TRANSFORMING SUPERVISION PRACTICES: THE IMPACT OF TARGETED COACHING ON REFLECTIVE QUESTIONING SKILLS AMONG LECTURERS IN NATIONAL TEACHERS’ COLLEGES IN UGANDA

Sarah Nawoova, Stephen Ndawula, Mark Waiswa

Abstract


This study investigated the influence of coaching on the reflective questioning skills of lecturers in National Teachers’ Colleges in Uganda, drawing on the principles of Cognitive Apprenticeship and Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, which emphasize learning through guided experience and social interaction. Employing a sequential embedded mixed-methods approach, the research utilized a pretest-posttest control group design to assess whether coaching significantly enhanced lecturers' reflective questioning skills. A sample of 128 lecturers was purposively selected, stratified, and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, with the experimental group receiving structured coaching sessions. A self-administered questionnaire and an observation checklist provided the quantitative data, while qualitative data was collected using a semi-structured interview guide. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics through a t-test, while qualitative data were examined through content analysis. The post-test results revealed that the experimental group performed better, with a mean difference of 0.4766 points and a p-value of 0.000 < 0.05, which is statistically significant. The qualitative data further underscored how coaching transformed participants’ ability to employ effective reflective questioning techniques during pre-observation conferences. The experimental group demonstrated substantial progress, highlighting the potential of coaching to foster meaningful improvement in their reflective questioning skills. Conversely, the control group's limited improvement emphasizes the necessity of continuous refinement and adaptation of coaching strategies to better address the supervisors' gaps. These findings reinforce the value of personalized coaching approaches and professional development through targeted workshops and training sessions and follow up coaching sessions to build capacity of supervisors.

 

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coaching, reflective questioning skills, cognitive apprenticeship, sociocultural theory

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v12i1.5816

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