Job-Embedded Coaching and Pedagogical Change: A Comparative Analysis of Primary Teacher Practices in Zambia's Copperbelt Province

Efforts to improve primary education in sub-Saharan Africa often involve in-service teacher development programmes. However, the sustained impact of traditional workshop-based models on classroom practice is frequently limited, prompting interest in more sustained, contextualised support mechanisms. This study compares the effects of a job-embedded coaching model against a conventional cascade training workshop on the pedagogical practices of primary school teachers. It aims to identify which model more effectively fosters the adoption of learner-centred methodologies. A quasi-experimental comparative design was employed. Participants were primary teachers from two comparable districts, one assigned to the coaching intervention and the other to the workshop. Data were collected through structured classroom observations using a validated instrument, supplemented by semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of teachers and coaches. Observational data were analysed quantitatively, while interview transcripts underwent thematic analysis. Teachers in the coaching cohort demonstrated a significantly higher integration of learner-centred practices. Specifically, 78% of coached teachers regularly employed group work and questioning techniques, compared to 34% in the workshop cohort. Interview data revealed that coached teachers valued the ongoing, contextualised feedback, which they linked to increased confidence in experimenting with new methods. Job-embedded coaching is a more effective modality for enabling substantive and sustained pedagogical change towards learner-centred instruction in this context than one-off training workshops. Educational policymakers and development partners should prioritise funding and institutionalising job-embedded coaching models within teacher continuous professional development frameworks. Programmes should invest in training a cadre of skilled instructional coaches. instructional coaching, teacher professional development, pedagogical change, comparative study, primary education, learner-centred pedagogy This study provides novel empirical evidence from a quasi-experimental design demonstrating the superior efficacy of job-embedded coaching over the prevalent cascade model for changing classroom practice in a resource-constrained setting.