Facilitating action research: a study of coaches, their experiences, and their reflections on leading teachers in the process of practitioner inquiry

Despite the profound impact of action research coaches on teachers’ experiences of the inquiry process, little research exists in the field regarding the coach’s role. In this exploratory study, two groups of action research coaches – one novice and one experienced – share their experiences of coaching inquiry during the 2009/10 school year. Out of the focus group interviews conducted with each group of coaches, four challenges arose that spanned across the coaching of both groups, despite the level of experience: time, coaching wondering development, coaching data analysis and administration. Implications and future research directions based on this work are discussed.