This paper discusses the findings of a mixed-methods study of early childhood instructional coaches employed in state-funded preschool (aged three and four years) programs in the state of New Jersey (NJ) in the United States (US), highlighting a case study of one coach that provides an example of individual and organizational factors influencing the work.,An online survey was distributed to all coaches (master teachers) in 35 districts' early childhood programs. Two master teachers were then studied for a period of five months. During that time, three structured interviews were conducted, focused observations occurred each month, and coach logs were collected.,The findings of the data analyses illuminated both individual (i.e., a coach's own professional development) and organizational (i.e., varying interpretations of role) factors that influenced the work of the early childhood coaches.,The data in this paper is limited to one US state's approach to early childhood coaching. The case study data examined is limited to the contexts of the specific participating districts and master teachers involved. It is suggested that future research be conducted on a nationwide pool of instructional coaches.,The findings of this study highlight the role of the state in providing more guidance surrounding the primary responsibilities of the master teacher. It is suggested that further attention be placed on creating and sustaining a professional development network for the master teachers serving NJ's early childhood programs.,As one of the few statewide studies of instructional coaching in early childhood, this study provides insights into how policy is translated into practice.

中文翻译：

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美国一个州的幼儿教练的工作

本文讨论了一项针对美国新泽西州（NJ）州政府资助的学前教育（三至四岁）计划中所使用的幼儿指导教练的混合方法研究的结果，重点介绍了一个案例一项教练的研究，提供了影响工作的个人和组织因素的实例。在线调查已分发给35个地区幼儿计划的所有教练（大师级老师）。然后研究了两名硕士教师，为期五个月。在此期间，进行了三次结构化访谈，每月进行重点观察，并收集了教练日志。数据分析的结果既说明了个人（即教练自身的职业发展）又说明了组织（即 影响角色的各种解释）影响了幼儿教练工作的因素。本文中的数据仅限于美国一个州的幼儿教练方法。所考察的案例研究数据仅限于特定参与地区和所涉及的硕士教师的背景。建议将来在全国范围内的指导性教练中进行研究。这项研究的结果突出了国家在提供更多指导方面的作用，围绕指导老师的主要职责。建议进一步关注为新泽西州儿童早期课程服务的硕士教师建立和维持专业发展网络。作为全州范围内为数不多的儿童早期指导研究之一，