Date of Award
2012
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Abraham S. Fischler College of Education
Advisor
Kathleen McLaughlin
Committee Member
David Heflich
Committee Member
Ronald P. Kern
Keywords
collaboration, collaborative conversations, coaching, document review, educational leadership, focus groups, leadership development, mentor coaching, mentor training, mentees, mentoring, NVivo, performance, principals, professional development, qualitative research, school administration, school administrators, statewide professional association, triangulation
Abstract
The proposed dissertation is designed to assess the contributions of collaborative conversations between school administrator mentor coaches and mentees. There is no statewide program available for school administrators to receive professional learning in a blended mentor-coaching model, and, as such, the qualitative research study aims to assess the nature of collaborative conversations that grow leadership practices.
Members of the mentoring committee of a statewide professional association spent over 2 years reviewing and visiting many mentor and coaching programs. Committee members discovered that current and aspiring school administrators had little access to the vital support literature indicating that a mentor-coaching relationship can provide for participants in a way that ensures their success by growing practice. The writer served on the statewide committee, is a certified national mentor and a trained mentor coach, and seeks to explore the nature of collaborative conversations between mentees and their mentor coaches that improve their collective practices. The study proposes to solicit and analyze data to discern what constitutes an effective collaborative dialogue between mentor coaches and mentees. Through interviews, focus groups, field notes, and document review, the study will explore the professional-learning supports that mentor coaches and their mentees need in order to engage in growth-oriented conversations. An analysis of the data will be conducted using NVivo Qualitative Data Analysis Software (Version 9) for the purpose of triangulating the information. The NVivo software manages text data in a structured manner so the researcher can devote more time in exploration, thinking, and analyzing.
The researcher anticipates that the data from the proposed research will better inform mentor-coach training requirements for mentor coaches, improved mentor-coaching tools, and a greater understanding of the nature of relationships between mentees and mentor coaches. Results of the research will be shared with participants, future mentor coaches and mentees, the statewide mentoring committee, and individuals who attend state and national professional-association conferences.