Academic Leadership

Academic Leadership: Fundamental Building Blocks

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Activity

Write down the names of two potential peer coaches that you can approach

within your organisation and who are participating in this educational program.

Coach 1:

Coach 2:

Theoretical Support for Reciprocal Peer Coaching

Cognitive development theory sees cooperation between peers as an essential pre-

requisite for cognitive growth. This theory stems from work undertaken by Piaget,

Sullivan and Vygotsky and their perspectives on socio-cognitive conflict (Piaget,

1932/1977; Sullivan, 1953; Vygotsky, 1978, 1986). In summarising their work Damon

(1984) states that peer interaction is seen to promote cognitive development by creating

critical cognitive conflict. If learners are aware of a contradiction in their shared

knowledge base, the experience creates disequilibrium. This disequilibrium motivates

the learners to question their beliefs and to try out new ones. This disequilibrium is only

possible in the context of a social learning environment where interaction between peers

is encouraged.

Several researchers have expanded their views of cognitive development theory and

the benefits of socio-cognitive conflict (Johnson, 1981; Johnson, Johnson, & Smith,

1986; King, 1997; Slavin, 1987). They maintain that when intellectual disagreements

between peers occur, conceptual conflict arises from a discrepancy in their shared

knowledge base. This cognitive conflict motivates the peers to seek out new

information, in an attempt to resolve the discrepancy. When managed properly, this

‘structured controversy’ can lead to higher achievement levels (Johnson 1981; Johnson

et al., 1986).

An overview of the theories of Vygotsky and his social interactionist views of

cognitive development is also provided in Damon (1984). According to him, peers

benefit from one another by internalizing the cognitive processes implicit in their

interactions and communications with others. The resulting peer dialogue posesses

several critical features of rational thinking, in particular: the verification of ideas; the

planning of strategies; the symbolic representation of intellectual acts; and the

generation of new solutions. Further, the social and cognitive interaction with a more

capable peer allows the less capable learner to enter new areas of potential. Vygotsky

(1978, 1986) calls this new area of potential the ‘zone of proximal development’.

The second theoretical perspective that is useful to substantiate the power behind

peer coaching is behavioural learning theory. This behavioural perspective has its roots

in the work of B. Skinner, especially his work on operant conditioning (Biehler &

Snowman, 1997). Skinner’s principal thesis was that individuals operate on their

environment in order to obtain or avoid particular consequences. Through either positive

or negative reinforcement, certain behaviours can be promoted or extinguished.

Although this represents a fairly simple perspective, it opened the way for Bandura to

expand his views of behaviour and group learning (Bandura 1977, 1997). Bandura

describes three types of reinforcement that influence learning outcomes. The first is

direct external reinforcement. Under this form of reinforcement, learners regulate their

behaviour on the basis of the consequences they experience directly. The second is