The role of individual differences on the effect of synchronous coaching of trainee teachers in plenary situations

Historically, synchronous (direct) coaching is an addition to the traditional asynchronous (indirect) supervision of trainee teachers. The new trainee receives concrete hints on “how to proceed further” via an earpiece. In this study the role of personality traits and the orientation of learning to teach by synchronous coaching of trainee teachers was investigated. Analyses showed that the personality traits extraversion, autonomy and emotional stability are indicators for preference in coaching mode. The study involves trainee teachers from various educational backgrounds in order to detect the more subtle differential effects. Each group of participants showed a different response to the synchronous versus asynchronous feedback and thus leads to the conclusion that there is a basis to tune the coaching of practical skills to personal factors indeed. Trainee teachers with an orientation towards “closed meaning” in pedagogical skills appeared to benefit most from being whispered synchronously, followed by those with closed reproductive-, survival- and open meaning orientation.