Perceptions of In-Service EFL Teachers Regarding the Features of an Effective Peer Coach in the Process of Professional Development

Creating a non-threatening, non-evaluative environment for the teachers to improve some aspects of their teaching, peer coaching aims to promote teachers’ professional development by contributing to the efficacy of the teachers and teaching process. Despite a great number of studies conducted on the effectiveness or impact of peer coaching in the field of preservice EFL teacher education or in-service EFL teacher training, the issue of what features the EFL teachers attribute to an effective peer coach has not been dealt with adequately. In this respect, the present study aimed to investigate the key features of an effective peer coach from the perspectives of four EFL teachers via Rep-Grid analysis technique and follow-up interviews. The results suggested different features attributed to an effective peer coach as based upon the teachers’ prior experiences.