Gender differences in interactional strategies of coaches in an educational context.

Abstract

Over the past 20 years, coaching has become increasingly popular as a professional development tool in educational contexts (Parsloe & Leedham, 2009; Burley & Pomphrey, 2011; Quinlan & Hone, 2020; De Haan, 2021). However, there is a lack of research conducted to identify possible gender dynamics at play within coaching conversations and current coaching literature reflects a paucity of focus on gendered implications, especially within educational settings. The objective of this study is to determine if there are notable gender differences in the interactional strategies of coaches within educational contexts and if these align with the perceptions of differences from coaches and coachees. The study utilises a dual approach to qualitative analysis; 25 interviews from coaches and coachees, and 20 coaching conversations from 5 male and 5 female coaches, each presenting conversations with both a male and a female coachee. The results of this study are designed to raise an awareness amongst coaches of possible gender dynamics at play during coaching conversations, and whether the structure of coaching sessions does in fact mitigate some of the well documented gender dynamics that commonly occur in conversations. It is hoped that these results can positively influence coaching training programs within educational settings.

This study is framed within a social constructivist epistemological approach, chosen in alignment with the aim of understanding how coaches construct meaning and enact their roles in coaching conversations. Through semi-structured interviews with coaches and coachees, the research applied thematic analysis to identify key themes related to relationship building, the influence of organisational culture, and gender disparities. The study further employed Conversation Analysis of coaching conversation transcripts to examine actual coaching behaviours, which indicated distinct variations in how coaches and coachees interact.

Findings of this study revealed that coachees prioritised a coach's connection and competencies over their gender. Coaches reported not altering their coaching style based on the coachee's gender, focusing instead on meeting the unique needs of each individual. The close analysis of coaching conversations, however, showed gender-specific patterns in balance of talk time, interruptions, and handling of pauses. Notably, the study found that male coaches sometimes used gendered language to better engage male coachees. Overall, the findings suggest that while coaching strategies may not differ significantly between male and female coaches, gender influences the underlying interactional approaches, affecting the dynamics of coaching sessions.

Date of Award	22 Jan 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Reka Ratkaine Jablonkai (Supervisor) & Gail Forey (Supervisor)