Research Review: Exploring the benefits of being a student coach in educational settings: a mixed-method study

by Christian van Nieuwerburgh & Chloe Tong  (2013) Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Practice, and Research, 6, p. 5-24 . Original article is available is available to members of Institute of Coaching Professional Association.

Special thanks to Brodie Gregory, PhD, Founding Fellow of the ICPA, for providing this summary and implications. 

When it comes to the outcomes and benefits of coaching, most people tend to focus on the experience of the coachee. But what about the coach? In their article, “Exploring the benefits of being a student coach in educational settings: A mixed-method study,” Christian van Nieuwerburgh and Chloe Tong examine the impact of coaching and coach training on coaches.

There are two reasons why this article makes a significant contribution to the coaching literature. First, van Nieuwerburgh and Tong take us outside of the business setting in an examination of coaching in a school setting. Additionally, rather than relying on teachers or external professionals, students take on a coaching role with their peers. Second, van Nieuwerburgh and Tong focus on the impact of coaching and coach training on the coach rather than the coachee. Little research has been devoted to exploring the positive outcomes and personal development opportunities afforded to coaches as a result of their training and coaching experience.

Students selected to be peer coaches participated in a 3-day coaching skills training course that drew on behavioral and cognitive behavioral techniques, as we all Whitmore’s (2002) GROW model. Once peer coaches were matched with younger students of similar gender and with similar interests, coaching dyads met approximately once per week for 9 months.

Van Nieuwerburgh and Tong used both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods to arrive at a number of important conclusions. Student coaches reported a number of positive outcomes as a result of the coach training and their experience as a coach, including improved communication skills (specifically, learning how to ask good questions and really listen), increased self-confidence, improved skill in perspective-taking, and improved relationships with peers, teachers, and even siblings.

These findings have broad implications for both coaching practice and also for application in school settings. How have your coach training and your experience as a coach positively impacted you? We focus so often on outcomes for the coachee… how can coaching researchers build on van Nieuwerburgh and Tong’s work by further exploring the benefits of coaching and coach training on coaching practitioners?