From Classroom Confidence to Coaching Competence: Examining the Evolution of Professional Efficacy

This pedagogical case explores how professional efficacy evolves as a veteran elementary teacher becomes an instructional coach. Featuring Mary, an experienced primary grades teacher who is starting her first year as a coach, this case illuminates the tensions and uncertainty she experiences during her first weeks of the new school year. Through a descriptive narrative and reflective questions, readers are encouraged to explore how relational, administrative, organizational, structural, and internal sources facilitate and/or hinder Mary’s sense of efficacy as she transitions from teaching to coaching. Ultimately, this case supports the reader in understanding the complexities of the teacher-to-coach transition.