Our peer coaching model on the 14th European Congress of Psychology

The 14th European Congress of Psychology took place in extremely hot Milan from 7 to 10 July 2015. We also contributed with oral presentation entitled “Peer coaching for effective workplace learning.”

Here is the abstract of the presentation:
Peer coaching (PC) refers to relational resources for professional growth. The literature has acknowledged a lack of systematic approach to introducing PC in organizations. In responding to this gap we conducted a quasi-field experiment involving a 5-day PC training programme. A total of 45 teachers participated in the training in order to develop PC competencies. Participants voluntarily filled in the questionnaire before and after the participation in the PC training. The questionnaire measured coaching competencies, establishing coaching relationship, active listening skills, core self-evaluations (CSEs), and teacher self-efficacy. The results showed a significant improvement of the target competencies after the completion of the training. Supplementary results showed a significant interaction effect of CSEs and coaching competence on training outcomes. We found that teachers with higher CSEs showed a significantly higher improvement of their coaching competencies compared to teachers with lower CSEs. Coaching as a method of workplace learning is a growing field of study. This is one of few empirical studies exploring the effectiveness of PC programmes. In terms of theory development, our study implies that personality traits might have an important role in developing coaching competencies. In terms of methodological implications, we have showed that quasi-field experiments can be successfully used in studying the development of coaching competencies.

Authors: Blanka Tacer (Skupina Primera) and Kristina Potočnik (University of Edinburgh).
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Peer Coaching as a Sustainable Source of Professional Development.