A narrative literature analysis of how instructional coaches make decisions

Purpose Instructional coaching is correlated with higher student achievement and greater self-efficacy in teachers, helping to ameliorate the lack of sufficient teacher preparation. However, successful coaching implementation outcomes continue to be mixed. Coaching decision-making is a critical component of implementation, but it is rarely examined for potential improvement. This is made more difficult by the breadth and depth of decision-making literature, where points of potential intersection relevant to coaching remain unknown. Design/methodology/approach Utilizing a narrative literature analysis approach, this study systematically examined coaching and decision-making literature in order to identify themes between both domains via a coaching-centered theoretical framework. From these themes, conceptual mapping was used to synthesize both domains to identify common themes between them. Findings The analysis found that heuristic mental models were a common point of intersection across both areas of research. Coaches, working under time and societal pressures, rely on different styles of decision-making (e.g. rational, intuitive, spontaneous, etc.) to inform their mental models of the coaching process. This process is further influenced by social and emotional biases. Originality/value Coaching research would benefit from examining the decision-making styles of coaches, which was widely present in decision-making literature but largely absent from coaching literature. Coaching practitioners would benefit from greater reflexivity and action research strategies to better understand the styles of their own decisions.