Is Coaching Home Visitors an Evidence-Based Professional Development Approach? A Review of the Literature

Abstract

Coaching is becoming a common professional development strategy to support early childhood (EC) professionals to use evidence-based practices. However, most of the research on coaching professionals in EC settings has been conducted in classroom or center-based EC settings. The authors of this review sought to summarize the current empirical literature on coaching of EC home visitors. Seven studies were identified and coded to determine common factors. Additional research is greatly needed to identify whether coaching home visitors is an evidence-based professional development strategy and the effective components of coaching in home-based programs.

Coaching home visitors: A thematic review with an emphasis on research and practice needs

“…McLeod et al. 's (2021) literature review on coaching home visitors is one important resource for advancing the field's engagement with theory as it identifies salient theoretical perspectives and documents their applications to coaching home visitors. Two of the seven studies in McLeod et al.…”

“…Two of the seven studies in McLeod et al. 's (2021) literature review on coaching home visitors mentioned adult learning theory. First, adult learning theory suggests that the greater the learning opportunities over time the more effective the intervention (Woods et al., 2011).…”

“…In ECE, teachers likely work with children with identified Adverse Childhood Experiences (Felitti et al., 1998). Exposure to children's trauma may lead to teachers’ experiences of secondary traumatic stress, and teacher coaching about trauma‐informed care with young children may promote quality practices and teacher well‐being (Kwon et al., 2021). Home visitors are regularly exposed to families’ experiences of trauma (Nathans et al., 2019); and, two‐thirds of home visitors are affected by secondary traumatic stress due to exposure to the family's trauma and limited available resources for home visitors to address their own wellness needs (Begic et al., 2019).…”

“…Coaching in ECE typically focuses on an expert to coach a teacher to help the teacher support children (McLeod et al, 2021) whereas in HV a coach works with a home visitor so that the home visitor can provide effective coaching to parents in the context of a triad (McLeod et al, 2021;Peterson et al, 2018). While virtual coaching is possible for both ECE and HV coaching, in ECE, coaching often occurs in a school or classroom setting in which the teacher organizes and conducts much of their practice.…”

“…There is a need for professional development, or guided teaching and learning strategies to strengthen practitioner competencies (Snyder et al, 2012) such as coaching, that is specific to home visitors (McLeod et al, 2021;Walsh et al, accepted). Table 1 situates coaching within the larger context of professional development in HV.…”