This study explores the contribution of online personal coaching to the development of teachers’ social-emotional learning (SEL) skills. The researchers examined how teachers and coaches perceive this process through the lens of Media Naturalness Theory (MNT), which suggests that online communication is less effective than face-to-face interaction. Using a mixed-method design (interviews, reflections, and observations), the findings show that despite technical challenges, the online setting fostered a safe, supportive, and intimate space that enabled openness, emotional regulation, and conflict resolution, allowing teachers to successfully transfer these skills to classroom practice. The findings challenge traditional assumptions about remote learning and highlight the practical and theoretical implications for teacher education in the post-COVID-19 era.
Research Question
What is the contribution of online one-on-one coaching for teachers to the development of their social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies, and how do teachers and coaches perceive this coaching experience in light of the predictions of Media Naturalness Theory?
Link to the Coaching World
This study is highly relevant to coaching as it demonstrates that online coaching can be as effective as face-to-face sessions. It underscores that creating a “safe coaching space”- despite physical distance – is the key to a successful process.
Importance and Innovation
The main innovation is demonstrating that Zoom environments can generate the intimacy and openness required for social-emotional learning, contrary to traditional Media Naturalness Theory predictions. It provides an expanded understanding of the theory and offers practical tools for high-quality remote coaching.
Method and Data
Mixed-method design: Interviews with 19 teachers and 18 coaches, 15 teacher reflections, and 9 classroom observations. A total of 1,104 statements were analysed.
Main Findings
Findings regarding the development of teachers’ SEL
- Online one-on-one coaching contributed to strengthening teachers’ SEL competencies, particularly in the areas of self-awareness, emotional regulation, professional confidence, and conflict management.
- Teachers perceived the Zoom sessions as a safe, non-judgmental, and intimate space that allowed them to speak openly about personal and professional challenges.
- Teachers reported that they were able to translate insights from the coaching into concrete classroom behaviors, especially in improving relationships with students and parents and in managing stress and conflict situations.
Findings regarding Media Naturalness Theory
- Although Media Naturalness Theory predicts that online communication reduces closeness and increases cognitive load, participants described the Zoom coaching as lighter, less threatening, and sometimes even more intimate than face-to-face meetings.
- Physical distance and the possibility of joining sessions from a familiar environment (such as home or office) made it easier for some teachers to share difficult emotions and experiences of failure more openly.
- Thus, the findings show that in a well-designed coaching context, the online medium not only does not limit the quality of the relationship but can actually create optimal conditions for developing SEL competencies.
Keywords
Social-emotional learning, online coaching, teacher training, Media Naturalness Theory.
APA:
Baranes, K., Lapidot-Lefler, N., & Blau, I. (2025). From Distance to Connection: Online Teachers’ Coaching, Social-Emotional Learning, and Media Naturalness Theory. In I. Blau, D. Olenik-Shemesh, N. Geri, A. Caspi, Y. Sidi, Y. Eshet-Alkalai, Y. Kalman, & N. Brandel (Eds.), Proceedings of the 21st Chais Conference on the Study of Innovation and Learning Technologies: The Learning Person in the Digital Era (pp. 25E–40E). Raanana: The Open University of Israel.
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