The effect of structured coaching on lecturers’ feedback skill development in national teachers’ colleges in Uganda

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of coaching on the feedback skills of lecturers in National Teachers’ Colleges in Uganda, drawing on the theories of Cognitive Apprenticeship and Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, which emphasize learning through guided experience and social interaction. The study was guided by a postpositivist world view and it employed a mixed-methods embedded approach, the research utilized a pretest-posttest control group design to assess whether there was a significant difference in the feedback skill of lecturers who received coaching compared to those who did not receive coaching. A sample of 128 lecturers was purposively selected, stratified, and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received structured coaching sessions, while the control group did not. Quantitative data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire and an observation checklist while structured interview guides provided the qualitative data. 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 0.38078 points and a p-value of 0.000 < 0.05 which is statistically significant. Participants from the experimental group in the interviews reported a positive contribution of coaching to their learning and skill proficiency. The hypothesis that there is no significant difference in the feedback skill of lecturers who received coaching compared to those who did not receive coaching was therefore rejected. It was concluded that coaching is significant for improving lecturers’ feedback skills. It was therefore recommended that institutions should consider integrating coaching as a CPD for lecturers’ capacity building in performance. Institutions should also design tailormade coaching strategies to address individual gaps of lecturers and create communities of practice to establish a supportive network for more learning