An Instructional Coaching Model to Enhance Instructors' Instructional Skills in Vocational Colleges in Nanjing, China

Abstract

Background and Aims: Instructional skills are the core to improving the competitiveness of vocational colleges. Instructors are essential in driving vocational college change, uniting colleagues, and helping students toward academic success. The primary purpose of this study was to develop an instructional coaching model to enhance the instructor's instructional skills in a vocational college in Nanjing, China. There were five research objectives (1) To identify the optimal instructional skills for vocational college instructors in Nanjing, China;  (2) To analyze the need to enhance the instructional skills of instructors in Nanjing, China; (3) To determine the levels of instructional coaching at vocational colleges in Nanjing, China; (4) To propose a model for enhancing instructors' instructional skills in vocational colleges in Nanjing, China; (5) To validate the model to enhance the instructional skills of instructors in vocational colleges in Nanjing, China.     

Methodology: The study applied concurrent mixed method research (qualitative and quantitative methods with the same objective), starting with a qualitative literature review and using the literature review analysis results in the quantitative data collection and analysis processes to establish an instructional model for improving instructors' instructional skills in vocational colleges; the research instrument was valid by five experts and reliability testing result was over acceptable levels (>0.70); in the final, the model was validated by 15 experts in qualitative methods with two-orders choices (yes or no).

Results: The results show that instructors in vocational colleges need to have five instructional skills: moral practice skills, professional instructional skills, professional development skills, comprehensive education skills, and social service skills. Based on the questionnaire to find the needs assessment priority index, the study showed that among Nanjing vocational colleges instructors, the instructional skills that needed priority improvement were ranked as follows: (1) Social service Skills (PNI modified = 0.55); (2) Comprehensive Education Skills (PNI modified = 0.45); (3) Professional Development Skills (PNI modified = 0.26); (4) Professional Instructional Skills (PNI modified = 0.24); (5) Instructor Ethics Practice Skills (PNI modified = 0.14). A model with activities was verified by 15 experts working for vocational colleges or instructional skills specialists. 

Conclusions: The study confirmed the need for more social service skills among vocational college instructors in Nanjing. Even though the quantitative result indicated one instructional skill that needs to be focused on, the study's qualitative findings revealed that the model stands for the importance of developing all five instructional skills of vocational college instructors. Therefore, vocational colleges must pay attention to training these instructional skills so that instructors teaching them meet the professional standards of instructors in secondary vocational colleges.