A cross-cultural investigation of the impact of USA and Chinese teachers’ classroom-coaching behaviours on undergraduate students’ learning.

This article investigates the impact of teachers’ classroom-coaching behaviours (TCCBs) on undergraduate students’ learning in China and the USA, focusing on cross-cultural differences. Using samples of 288 Chinese and 325 American students, the study identifies four dimensions of TCCBs—coaching relationship, indirect instruction, coaching strategies, and thinking facilitation—and finds that these behaviours positively influence students’ mindful agency, academic self-efficacy (ASE), academic buoyancy, and deep learning in both cultures. However, Chinese students reported higher perceptions of coaching relationships and indirect instruction, as well as greater academic buoyancy and use of deep learning approaches, while American students showed higher ASE and were more influenced by TCCBs in terms of deep learning and academic buoyancy. The study highlights cultural variations in teacher-student interactions and suggests that educational coaching practices may need to be adapted to cultural contexts to optimize student learning outcomes.