A Model for Improving Clinical Practice: Using Observational Data to
Support Clinical Teacher Candidate Effectiveness
Judith Smith, Kristen Cuthrell, Joy Stapleton, Vivian Martin Covington, College of Education, Jason Brinkley, Department of Biostatistics, East Carolina University
Materials and Methods
Abstract
The traditional triad model includes a teacher candidate, a clinical teacher, and a
university supervisor. The purpose of this study was to add a new person to the teacher
candidateship model, the instructional coach, and to investigate the following research
question: what impact does instructional coaching have on the use of effective
instructional practices in the clinical teacher candidateship? Over a two year period
teacher candidates increased their use of instructional strategies.
Introduction
This model for improving clinical practice enhanced the curriculum and student teacher
candidateship experiences within the Elementary Education, Middle Grades, and
Special Education programs along with a complementary data-collection system for
supporting the evaluative/iterative refinement of the model itself for capturing the
performance of teacher candidates.
Instructional coaches observed teacher candidates three times for 30-40 minute episodes
during the first fifteen week semester of the senior year and collected baseline data using
the Teachscape CWT Standard Look FORS instrument determined by the local public
school partner. Coaches used the Teachscape form as a checklist to observe teacher
candidates in five areas: 1) curriculum including learning objectives and grade-level
standards, 2) instruction identifying instructional practices, grouping format and
research-based instructional strategies, 3) the learner that includes identifying student
actions and instructional materials as well as determining levels of student work and
level of class engagement, 4) classroom environment, and 5) the needs of all learners.
Instructional coaches observed the teacher candidates to determine if there was evidence
of appropriate instruction in all five areas, as well as, to document teacher candidates’ use
of specific ISLES instructional practices in each of the teacher candidates’ teaching
episodes.
Focus on Instruction
Instructional Practices
Coaching
Discussion
Hands-on Experience
Learning Centers
Lecture
Modeling
Opportunities for Practice
Presentation
Providing
Directions/Instructions
Questions & Answers
Technology
Testing
4%
11%
25%
4%
4%
46%
64%
7%
43%
68%
36%
11%
13%
64%
79%
68%
39% 0.0003
57% <0.0001
11% 0.4456
7% 0.4044
9% 0.2504
18% 0.2313
15% 0.1833
61% <0.0001
50%
43%
11%
0%
91%
87%
32%
2%
41% <0.0001
44% <0.0001
21% 0.0313
2%
1.00
Table 1. Observation Walkthrough Results.
P-Values are the result of Fisher’s Exact Test on Independent Samples.
Level of significance alpha of 0.05 used for all statistical testing.
Concept
Learning
Organizers
Advance
Organizers
Graphic
Organizers
Compare and
Contrast
Question and
Reivew
Examples and
nonexamples
Higher level
questions that
ask for
explanations
Grouping
Games
Think Pair Share
Assessment
Jigsaw
Formative
Summative
Figure 3. ISLES Instructional Strategies
Conclusions
Conclusions from the study of the model reveal that though some decreases emerged, there
was a significant increase in the use of instructional practices used by teacher candidates
who were supported by instructional coaches. Gain scores show an increase of 3 in the
number of instructional practices used during a lesson observation. Even when adjusting
for all of the different variables, a multiple regression shows an increase of 3 instructional
practices per lesson observation. The use of multiple instructional practices in lesson
instruction shows a heightened level of complexity in the instructional decision making of
teacher candidates. This complex decision can be attributed to the instructional coaches
through the encouragement and scaffolding provided in
individual mentoring,
observations, and professional development. It is the authors’ conclusion that instructional
coaches had a significant impact on teacher candidate instructional practices
The Elementary Education, Middle Grades, and Special Education programs have
strategically placed major components of a curriculum reform module series (ISLES) in
the teacher education program. Beginning with an early field experience course and
continuing through their teacher preparation coursework to teacher candidateship,
candidates gain declarative and procedural knowledge for incorporating ten specific
research-based instructional strategies into their teaching to actively engage students in
instruction in a manner that improves student achievement. Within the operational
model developed, project-funded instructional coaches were added to the traditional
triad of clinical teacher, teacher candidate, and supervisor to provide support of the use
of the strategies in classroom settings.
Baseline No Year 2 Reforms
Reforms
Begin
Difference p-value
ISLES
Instructional
Practices
Analysis of Results
This study utilized a variety of quantitative statistical methods to examine, summarize, and
evaluate clinical teacher candidate data over a two-year period. The goal of the research
was to examine the impact of curriculum reform supported by instructional coaching on the
use of effective instructional practices in the clinical teacher candidateship. A combination
of Fisher’s Exact Test for group differences and t-tests for differences in means were used
to determine if there were differences in between year one and year two cohorts. In
addition to bivariate tests, a multiple regression was fit using the total number of
instructional practices as the outcome and gender, area, content, and cohort year as
independent variables.
While almost all the categories in the Instructional Practice domain increased, this increase
was statistically significant to at least the p<.05 level in 9 of the 26 categories or in 35% of
the categories in the focus on instruction domain. The categories included topics like
coaching, discussion, presentations, providing directions/instruction, questions and
answers, technology, compare/contrast, formative assessment, and individual and whole
group instruction. The other areas of significant increases can also be linked to the
expanded use of instructional practices by the teacher candidates. Categories like listening,
speaking, writing, interacting with the environment, and having work at the knowledge,
comprehension and application level all increased significantly. These topics are all related
to students being engaged in the learning process. As the literature on effective teaching
frameworks support, greater engagement leads to increased student achievement. More
detail about the other categories in the walkthrough are provided in the paper.
The significance of this initiative consisted of addressing the need for improving the
curriculum and teacher candidateship experiences of teacher candidates while supporting
their teachers and teacher candidate supervisors through a design that incorporated the use
of evidence-based instructional strategies within a developmental framework. This
framework also included building evaluative capacity for collecting the effectiveness data
for initially iteratively refining and eventually conducting a continuing evaluation of the
model effectiveness.
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