Promoting changes in teachers' conduct of student pair activities: An examination of reciprocal peer coaching

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of reciprocal pe er coaching for promoting changes in teachers' conduct of student pair acti vities. A multiple baseline design was used to examine four conditions. Two kindergarten teachers implemented student-assisted learning activities alo ne during an initial baseline and then collaborated with another teacher du ring two coaching phases. Finally, each teacher participated ir! a final ma intenance condition in which they conducted their activities in the absence of technical support or assistance. A range of teacher and student outcome s was collected. Results indicated that reciprocal peer coaching produced t wo important changes in teachers' methods of monitoring their student-assis ted activities. First, both teachers increased their use of suggestions, pr ompts, questions, and related talk to facilitate students' social interacti on with classmates. A second coaching phase enabled teachers to employ spon taneous adaptations in the academic materials, skills, or social interactio n roles/process of individual student pairs. Both teachers continued to ins titute adaptations during maintenance, and one continued to provide prompts and suggestions for students' interactions. Finally, several students demo nstrated corollary improvements in their social interaction skills. These r esults have important implications for enabling teachers to accommodate the needs of students with special needs in general education classrooms.