Adaptive Pedagogical Change Through Peer Coaching Towards Student‐Centred, Strategy‐Based EFL Reading

ABSTRACT This study examined how peer coaching supported the integration of metacognitive reading strategies within student‐centred instruction in a Turkish university English preparatory programme. Using a qualitative‐dominant mixed‐methods case study design, the research followed one experienced reading instructor and two intact B2‐level cohorts ( N = 31) across an emergency online semester and a subsequent face‐to‐face semester. Quantitative data were collected through IELTS‐based reading comprehension pre‐, post‐, and delayed post‐tests and analysed using inferential statistics to trace patterns of change in reading performance and strategy use. Qualitative data were generated through student think‐aloud protocols, reflective logs, structured classroom observations (ERCOP), and semi‐structured teacher interviews. Observation data were analysed descriptively by tallying predefined instructional indicators, while interview and learner data were analysed thematically to document instructional adaptations and teacher learning over time. Findings showed significant short‐term gains in reading comprehension in both cohorts, with more sustained improvement in the face‐to‐face group and a strong association between accurate metacognitive strategy use and achievement. Qualitative evidence indicated that peer coaching supported changes in the teacher's instructional practices, particularly in the use of dialogic scaffolding and reciprocal reading routines, shaping students’ engagement with metacognitive strategies. While online implementation facilitated initial uptake, constraints related to feedback immediacy and technical conditions limited sustained strategy use, whereas face‐to‐face instruction enabled more consistent consolidation. Although limited to a single institutional case, the study illustrates how peer coaching can function as a context‐responsive professional learning process that supports teachers’ integration of strategy‐based reading pedagogy in higher‐education EFL contexts.