Seventh-Day Adventist School Administrators’ Perceptions About the Effectiveness of On-the-Job Coaching in Developing Their Leadership Behaviors

Coaching is an accepted on-the-job training and development approach for professionals in many career fields, including education, yet there is limited research on its efficacy in promoting sustained behavioral change and positive organizational outcomes. This basic qualitative study explored the perceptions of prekindergarten (PK) through 12th-grade Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) school administrators about the effectiveness of on-the-job coaching in developing their leadership behaviors. The New World Kirkpatrick model served as the conceptual framework for the study. Three research questions were designed to understand school administrators’ perceptions about (a) the effectiveness of coaching in developing their leadership behaviors, (b) the influence of coaching on achieving organizational-level goals, and (c) important leadership behaviors to focus on during coaching. A qualitative survey and semistructured interviews were conducted with seven PK–12th-grade SDA school administrators from across North America who had completed at least 1.5 years of coaching in a leadership coaching program for SDA school administrators. Thematic analysis indicated that coaching positively influenced participants’ self-confidence, mindfulness and intentionality, and ability to delegate. Most participants began using coaching with staff, which led to positive shifts in school culture. This study may contribute to positive social change by providing insights into the effectiveness of on-the-job coaching for school administrators, enabling stakeholders to implement effective training and development opportunities for school administrators in faith-based and other school settings.