Peer coaching with interactive wireless technology between student teachers: Satisfaction with role and communication

In technology-savvy Singapore, wireless communication devices were used over four weekly lessons to facilitate communication between pairs of student teachers (STs). In the naturalistic setting of a neighbourhood primary school, one ST used the technology to coach the other who was engaged in teaching. (Both were familiar with the lesson plan and in a later lesson the roles were reversed.) The coach's comments (tape recorded) to the teacher were guided by lecturer-designed focus sheets. Following each lesson, all teaching STs (n = 21) completed a short Likert-scale inventory on satisfaction with the role of teacher, influence of communication on satisfaction with role, characteristics of the communication as well as satisfaction with the device. Coding of tape transcriptions after Kahan (2002) showed that the communication was shaped by the focus of the observation sheets. Means of the tabulated frequencies on each survey item indicated that the participants were overall very satisfied with the process of being coached. Satisfaction in role increased across time. However, the influence of communication on role decreased across rime. Satisfaction with communication (amount) peaked in Week 2, but satisfaction in content of communication increased across time. Although reporting that the devices were clumsy and at times impeded their teaching, generally the students were satisfied with the technology.