Chapter 1: Peer Coaching in Higher Education: A Conceptual Review of the Literature

In this chapter, we conduct a conceptual review of the research literature that unpacks the three purposes of peer coaching outlined by Gosling (2002), resulting in an overview of what the research tells us about each model: evaluation, developmental, and peer review. The review presented in this chapter provides (a) an overview of the literature on peer coaching, (b) a critique of the literature, (c) a summary and conclusions, and (d) a checklist of some considerations when developing a peer coaching program. Broad in focus, the review in this chapter has selected and synthesized relevant literature and past research into a coherent discussion. Methodologies, findings, and limits of peer coaching are discussed in narrative form. The findings of our review indicate there is evidence of benefits to peer coaching programs when the development is guided by the research literature.