We provide a critical review of a foundational article in neuroscience (Boyatzis & Jack, 2018) which set out to provide the neuroscientific foundations of Coaching to the PEA, a coaching model. Our critique questions the validity of the underpinning neuroscientific research; the appropriateness of selectively stimulating specified brain networks; the problematic positioning of the coach working with the brain; the rhetorical effects and paradigmatic challenges of integrating neuroscientific findings alongside other sources of knowledge; the risk of reductionism and of generalising findings from limited empirical research. Our critique questions how far neuroscience can be applied in coaching.
Coach development is an under-researched phenomenon and our understanding of how coaches learn and develop is therefore limited. The current discourse of coach development is largely framed by professional bodies who have a stake, to varying degrees, in the dominant paradigm. That paradigm is informed by linear stage models of learning and development which, we argue, do not fully address the diversity of coaches, their different developmental needs nor the range of paths they follow to become experienced coaches. To access that diversity, we explore coaches’ experience of their development journey using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. We found no universal set of development activities with which coaches engage, but considerable commonality. Our study revealed that how coaches resource and support themselves, influences, and grounds their development. Life events impact professional growth and becoming a coach affects personal identity. Rather than the transmission and mastery of a pre-determined …
This study examined how UK and Irish masters’ level coach education programmes cultivate learners’ coaching presence. A cross-section of coach educators and thought leaders from the UK and Ireland were interviewed regarding instructional approaches employed to cultivate learners’ coaching presence. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The three main themes and nine sub-themes produced from the data analysis suggest that although coaching presence has been proven critical to coaching outcomes, its place in graduate coach education programmes is inconsistent. Recommendations for improving consistency are discussed.
There is a lack of mentorship assessment and objective improvement measures for mentorship in the field of occupational therapy. This study aimed to investigate differences in mentor readiness and identify areas for improvement. Participants completed the validated Mentor Competency Assessment. Participants were stratified into two groups for data analysis. 103 participants were included. No significant differences were identified, indicating that the instrument was unable to differentiate between those with and without mentor experience. An occupational therapy mentor competency assessment may be useful for mentor development, process improvement, and future educational opportunities.
This study employed a comparative qualitative case study method to investigate the pivotal role of mentoring in doctoral studies within distinct institutional settings, namely, Ghana and the United States. Using the cognitive apprenticeship model, we compared the mentoring processes deployed in the two studied universities. Noteworthy distinctions emerged in the mentoring processes, levels of engagement, and their impact on students’ decision making regarding further studies and career choices. These disparities are traced back to variations in the design of mentoring programmes. Our contention is that fostering effective mentoring processes within higher education institutions wields a substantial influence on graduate students’ academic satisfaction. This study, therefore, underscores the imperative of refining mentoring strategies and proposes avenues for future research in this critical domain.
In this exploratory study we aim to understand whether metaphor plays a role in re-authoring narratives when coachees are experiencing process posttraumatic growth (PTG). Recognising the post-trauma phase of their life, nine participants who utilised the modality of coaching whilst in trauma recovery were interviewed using semi-structured questions, the data was analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Four key themes emerged from the results indicating metaphor usage is a common factor in re-authoring post-trauma: awareness of past-trauma and a need for reauthoring; an expression for change; the PTG framework created a coherent narrative of PTG in the present; and both coaching and metaphor created a coherent narrative of self and life in the present.