Literacy coaching provides job-embedded professional development intended to influence teacher instructional practices and increase student achievement. Coaches mediate their role between "Responsive" and "Directive" stances. "Responsive" stances are described as coaching behaviors where the coach responds to the teachers' needs and provides opportunities for self-reflection and planned next steps (Ippolito, 2009). "Directive" stances are coach-led and the teacher is expected to follow along (Ippolito, 2009). The act of coaching is complex, and its success depends largely on administrative support, relationships between coaches and teachers, and content knowledge (Aguilar, 2019). Limited empirical evidence exists regarding the most effective stances. This mixed methods study explores how New Jersey literacy coaches distinguish between "Responsive" and "Directive" stances and which strategies effectively influence change. The Situated Learning theory serves as the theoretical framework for the study, and conceptualizes an apprentice moving from the periphery to the center of best community practices (Lave & Wenger, 1991). The results indicate that coaches were able to distinguish between "Responsive" and "Directive" approaches, while uncovering which method was utilized by literacy coaches in their own practices. The second phase sought to explore how coaches understood their role and how they moved teachers from the periphery of current practice to the center of best practice. Effective coaching strategies that influence instructional practices, the influence that administrators have on coaching success and opportunities for further research are discussed in the conclusion. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]