TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the coaching structures that aspiring principals associate with developmentally consequential coaching interactions; identify structural features/functions/attributes that shape a structure’s developmental utility and use; and consider how a multifarious coaching structure might advantage the learning experiences of aspiring principals.Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study included multiple interviews with two cohorts of aspiring principals (n=20) from one preparation program and with their leadership coaches (n=5) and was framed using the theories of social capital and networks, situated learning, and distributed cognition.Findings The authors identified eight coaching structures that aspirants identified as consequential to their learning and development. The authors identified four structural features/functions/attributes that shape a structure’s developmental utility. The authors identified three factors that contribute to the developmental utility of this multifarious coaching model.Research limitations/implications This study includes a relatively small participant sample –70 percent of the aspiring principals from two cohorts within one preparation program. Data do not include direct observations of coaching interactions within the context of individual coaching structures.Practical implications The findings suggest that the structuring of leadership coaching is a critical consideration for those designing leadership coaching programs. This multifarious structuring of leadership coaching created three developmental affordances.Originality/value This paper generates new knowledge for the field of principal preparation related to the structuring of leadership coaching and ways in which structuring can shape aspirant learning experiences. These findings are likely to also be instructive to those interested in coaching more generally.
VL  - 56
IS  - 3
SN  - 0957-8234
DO  - 10.1108/JEA-05-2017-0049
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-05-2017-0049
AU  - Cosner Shelby
AU  - Walker Lisa
AU  - Swanson Jason
AU  - Hebert Martha
AU  - Whalen Samuel P.
PY  - 2018
Y1  - 2018/01/01
TI  - Examining the architecture of leadership coaching: Considering developmental affordances from multifarious structuring
T2  - Journal of Educational Administration
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 364
EP  - 380
Y2  - 2024/04/19
ER  -