Cultivating Ownership in Enactment: Teacher Agency and Professional Identity in Pedagogical Coaching

Authors

• Brandon Sherman, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USAFollow
• Mari Haneda, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USAFollow
• Annela Teemant, Indiana University Indianapolis, Indiana, USAFollow
• Frances Nebus Bose, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USAFollow

Abstract

This study explores how teachers interpret and adapt professional learning practices to align with their contextual needs and professional beliefs, with an emphasis on teacher ownership. It investigates how pedagogical coaching can support teachers in taking ownership of pedagogical principles and practices within the framework of agency, identity, and the zone of enactment. The research employs a qualitative case study of two teachers at a U.S. urban elementary school, who implemented the Enduring Principles of Learning (EPL) framework with the support of a pedagogical coach. Data analysis from video-recorded coaching sessions and teacher-student instructional conversations revealed that the teachers effectively enacted and took ownership of two EPL principles: Instructional Conversation and Critical Stance. The findings highlight the importance of integrating agency, identity, and the zone of enactment as a theoretical framework to better support teachers in owning their professional learning processes.

Keywords

teacher ownership, pedagogical coaching, teacher agency, identity, Enduring Principles of Learning, professional learning, qualitative case-study

Author Bio(s)

Brandon Sherman (Indiana University Indianapolis). Seasoned educator, published author, skilled communicator, dedicated researcher, and experienced project manager.Please direct correspondence to [email protected]

Mari Haneda (The Pennsylvania State University). After having earned a doctoral degree in second-language education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto, Mari was a postdoctoral researcher for two years at the Center for Research on Diversity, Equity, and Education.  Following that, for seven years, she worked in the Foreign/Second Language Education program, the College of Education and Human Ecology at Ohio State University. In 2013, she took up her current position as a tenured associate professor of World Languages Education and Applied Linguistics in the College of Education at the Pennsylvania State University.

Annela Teemant (Indiana University Indianapolis) performs research and teaching focusing on preparing K12 teachers to work with multilingual learners. Under this umbrella, I publish on innovative critical sociocultural program development, English as a New Language teacher preparation, and pedagogical coaching.

Frances Nebus Bose (The Pennsylvania State University).

Publication Date

10-18-2026

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Recommended APA Citation

Sherman, B., Haneda, M., Teemant, A., & Nebus Bose, F. (2026). Cultivating ownership in enactment: Teacher agency and professional identity in pedagogical coaching. The Qualitative Report, 31(9), 6590-6611.

ORCID ID

0000-0003-2953-480X