Teachers’ experiences of an introductory coaching training workshop in Scotland: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Objectives: This study sought to explore teachers’ experiences of a coaching psychology intervention — an introductory coaching training workshop that included a positive psychology intervention and episodes of narrative-collaborative group coaching.

Design: A qualitative design was applied to explore the participants’ experiences. The data was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA).

Method: The study took place in Scotland, where revised teaching standards require school leaders to use coaching skills. The participants were five teachers who had attended the workshop. Data collection was through semi-structured interviews.

Results: Two main themes emerged from the analysis. The first theme, ‘Learning with others — the value of collaboration’, had two sub-themes: ‘Working with a partner made it real’ and ‘Feeling part of the group’. The second theme, ‘Reflection — the value of time to think’ had three sub-themes: ‘Myself as coach and coachee’, ‘Coaching and other people’, and ‘Making plans to start coaching and sharing’.

Conclusions: The participants reported that their learning was enhanced by collaborating with others and having time for reflection. The limitations of the study are discussed and areas for future research are proposed.