Measurement of Fidelity in Coaching-Based Professional Development: A Scoping Review

The purpose of this scoping review was twofold: To identify: (1) how researchers have measured structural and procedural fidelity components, and (2) what measurement methods and tools researchers have used in coaching-based professional development (PD). Thirty-nine studies of coaching-based PD for academic intervention for kindergarten to sixth-grade students were examined. Results showed that researchers measured few fidelity components (the median number in examined studies was two out of 10 possible components; the mean was 1.1 out of 10). Multi-dimensional approaches were not adopted in most studies, and procedural fidelity was rarely measured (the median number of procedural components used in examined studies was zero; the mean was 0.7 out of five). Most studies measured only adherence as part of structural fidelity, and teacher preparedness and use of instructional materials as part of procedural fidelity. Most studies used direct observation using a checklist to measure fidelity. Future explorations into the conceptualization and measurement of fidelity may lead to improved teacher implementation and student outcomes.