Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand and systematically describe the essence of the experience of high school principals having received leadership coaching. Methodology. A phenomenological design was used to explore high school principals' experiences with leadership coaching. The researcher interviewed a purposeful sampling of 5 current or former high school principals who received leadership coaching for a minimum of 6 months. Patton's (2002) steps in phenomenological analysis including epoche, phenomenological reduction, bracketing, textural portrayal, and structural synthesis were used to analyze the data. Validity and reliability were established through the use of Lincoln and Guba's (1985) alternative constructs of credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. Findings. Transcripts were reviewed several times to uncover over 30 significant statements from the interviews. Sixteen formulated meanings were constructed from the significant statements, and 5 themes emerged. The 5 themes were explained and backed up with all the significant statements from the interviews. Finally, the essence of the leadership coaching experience received by principals was described. Conclusions. The results of the study support the key themes as areas of practice of the principals that were impacted as a result of leadership coaching. The key themes included developing a shared vision and goals and leading change; strengthening site team development and leadership capacity; examining data to assess and improve performance; navigating district, community, and school politics; and confidence building and reflection. Recommendations. Leadership coaching can assist principals with the rapidly changing demands of the position. Future research should be conducted to determine the similarities and differences in experiences at the different levels of education, including elementary, middle, high school, and college. Additionally, the effects of leadership coaching on principals of low-performing versus high-performing schools should be researched. The findings of this phenomenological study offer districts support for hiring leadership coaches who can work with new and experienced principals to improve their practices, thereby leading to improved performance.