Effects of Peer Coaching on the Rate of Responsive Teacher Statements During a Child-directed Period in an Inclusive Preschool Setting

Several barriers to preschool inclusion exist, including the lack of collaboration between early childhood educators and early childhood special educators and the lack of high quality early childhood programs. In this study a multiple probe design across participants was used to evaluate the effectiveness of peer coaching on the rate of responsive statements made by general education preschool teachers. Three Head Start teachers who served students with special needs in their inclusive classrooms participated with an early childhood special education teacher conducting peer coaching sessions. Results indicated that all Head Start teachers increased their rate of responsive statements. Given these preliminary results a discussion on whether or not peer coaching is an effective and practical model for professional development in inclusive preschools follows.