published_or_final_version / Buddhist Studies / Master / Master of Buddhist Studies

The creation of professional development that provides ongoing support to teachers so that they can continue to develop has been increasingly promoted in past years. With the onset of No Child Left Behind and Reading First, teacher professional development gained renewed interest in many school districts. One key component of professional development that received increased attention is professional development through instructional coaching. In a Reading First setting, coaches were supposed to provide teachers with ongoing support in implementing high quality reading instruction for teachers in grades K-3. However, little research on teacher perceptions in this setting has been undertaken. This study sought to discover teacher perceptions of the role, contribution, and value of coaching in grade levels K-3 by answering the following research questions: 1) How do teachers understand the role of instructional coaching? 2) What changes do teachers perceive in their practice as a result of instructional coaching? 3) Which components of instructional coaching do teachers believe they benefit from most? 4) Do teachers perceive a relationship between student learning and instructional coaching? A cross-case analysis was performed on two elementary schools. Data came from the perspective of eight teachers through personal interviews and focus group interviews. Coaching logs provided by instructional coaches were also used. Data collection and analysis was guided by Dewey’s (1938/1998) theory of experience, focusing on continuity and interaction. The results of this research revealed perceived diverse benefits of coaching on teacher practice in a Reading First setting, as well as issues and challenges within the coach-teacher relationship. Teachers’ views and attitudes regarding coaching were similar in some ways. Teacher interaction with coaches varied by experience and grade level. Most of the teacher participants wanted more interaction with the instructional coach assisting, modeling, and observing in the classroom. / text

Denne masteroppgaven er en kvalitativ undersøkelse om coaching og faglig veiledning i sosialt arbeid. Jeg har intervjuet syv personer som har forbindelse til sosialt arbeid som arbeidsfelt. Formålet med undersøkelsen har vært å utforske hvilke forskjeller og likheter informantene har opplevd mellom coaching og faglig veiledning, samt hvilke tanker de har om bruk av coaching i sosialt arbeid. Resultatene viser at informantene er delt i synet på om coaching utgjør et eget fagfelt som har flere likheter med veiledning, eller om coaching er en del av samlebegrepet veiledning. Faglig veiledning har hovedfokuset på den faglige utviklingen og inneholder mye refleksjon, mens coaching har fokus på hele livssituasjonen og er mer handlingsorientert. Kompetansen til coachen/veilederen oppfattes som en av hovedforskjellene. En coach har ikke nødvendigvis fagkunnskap om feltet til den som blir coachet, slik som en veileder har. En del informanter opplevde at coachingprosessen derfor ikke inneholdt den samme refleksjonen rundt faglige og etiske problemstillinger. Flere merket likevel positive endringer i sin arbeidssituasjon eller på andre områder som følge av coachingen og betraktet det som en fordel at coachen bidro med et perspektiv utenfra. Coachen oppfattes som en pådriver og motivator, mens en faglig veileder er en sentral støtte i arbeidshverdagen som bidrar til å forebygge utbrenthet og sekundær traumatisering. Et fellestrekk mellom faglig veiledning og coaching er at den veiledede går gjennom en prosess. Målet er faglig eller personlig utvikling. Informantene mener at en del av virkemidlene i metodene er like, for eksempel evnen til å stille spørsmål og skape en god dialog. Samtidig brukes virkemidlene ofte på nye måter eller med et annet formål i coaching. Relasjonen oppleves som viktig innenfor begge metodene. Hvis relasjonen er god, tilegges ikke selve metoden så stor betydning. Coaching betraktes hovedsakelig som et supplement til faglig veiledning og noe man kan ta i bruk ut fra ulike behov. De fleste informantene tror at coaching kan være positivt for klienter i sosialt arbeid. For å sikre den faglige kvaliteten ved bruk av coaching i sosialt arbeid, kan en kombinasjon av en grunnkompetanse i sosialt arbeid og et kurs i coaching være en løsning. / The focus in this master thesis is coaching and supervision in social work. The empirical foundation is based on qualitative interviews with seven female social workers. I wanted to explore their experiences of the differences and similarities between coaching and supervision, and their reflections on use of coaching in social work. The results show that one group of the participants believes that coaching constitute a separate field with many similarities to supervision, while the other group see coaching just as one of many word in the concept of supervision. The main focus in supervision is professional development and reflection. Coaching is focused on development in a holistic perspective and is more action-oriented. The required expertise differs in coaching and supervision. The coach does not necessarily have competence in the field he is working in, while a supervisor does. The participants think that this is one of the differences between coaching and supervision with most impact on the experience of the method. Coaching does not include the same reflections regarding ethical and professional dilemmas as supervision. Many of the participants still experienced positive changes in their situation at work or in other life areas and saw the advantage of a perspective from another field. The coach has the role of a motivator and promoter, while the function of the supervisor is to be a support in the daily work and help the social workers prevent burnout and secondary traumatization. Both coaching and supervision means that the supervisee goes through a process. The goal is either personal or professional development. The participants believe that many of the tools are similar in coaching and supervision, for example asking questions and facilitate dialogue. However, the tools are often used in different ways or with different purposes. The relationship between the coach or supervisor and the supervisee is very important in both coaching and supervision. The method becomes less important if the relationship is good. The participants find coaching mainly as a supplement to supervision and believe that the methods can meet different needs. Most of the participants think that coaching can be a positive contribution for the clients. To ensure the professional quality and the ethical assessments using coaching in social work, a combination of a bachelor degree in social work and a course in coaching can be the solution.

Syftet med studien var att visa hur SPA-managers upplever coaching på distans. Fokus ligger på att se hur bra coaching kan leda till en bättre fungerande organisation. Studiens informanter bestod av fem personer, fyra SPA-managers som befinner sig i olika delar av världen och en coachande konsult som befinner sig i Sverige. Resultatet visar att distanscoaching fungerar bra och upplevs som mycket positivt. Det största problemet med distanscoaching är dock just distansen, då konsult och klient tillsammans skapat en bra och ömsesidig relation, som bidrar till att de vill kunna träffas oftare. Resultatet visar också att det finns problem mellan konsulten och SPA-managers chefer, vilka inte helt och hållet arbetar på samma sätt eller mot samma mål, vari konflikter kan uppstå. Diskussionen förespråkar att konsulter och klienter bör arbeta mer med att sätta upp mål såväl på organisationsnivå som på individnivå. Diskussionen föreslår även att konsulten kan arbeta med fem generella steg som finns inom coachingprocessen vilket kan stärka klienternas känsla av coaching då de ibland uppfattar coachingen som handledning/vägledning.

The last decade has seen an increase in empirical research pertaining to coaching science and education. A great deal of research has focused on coaches of elite able-bodied athletes, while coaches of athletes with a disability have generally been overlooked. In a recent analysis of disability sport, only 5% of empirical publications pertained to coaching. Thus, the current study addressed the gap in the literature by examining the knowledge of disability sport coaches. Six elite level Canadian coaches of swimmers with a physical disability were interviewed using an unstructured, open-ended interview format. Four categories emerged from the analysis: coach background and characteristics, training, competition, and contextual factors. Results revealed who the coaches were, what they did, and similarities with elite able-bodied coaches, as well as differences that were specific to coaching swimmers with a physical disability. Specifically, it was essential for coaches to become knowledgeable of their athletes' disabilities, deal with issues of equality between able-bodied and swimmers with a physical disability, and accommodate a large array of individual needs. These findings augment knowledge in coaching psychology by including elite level coaches of athletes with physical disabilities.

The thesis is a case study that seeks to understand the democratic coaching style by observing the practices of a specific democratically-minded girls’ varsity hockey coach at a private secondary school in the Greater Toronto Area. The study first characterizes a democratic coach by comparing the democratic leadership style with other styles of leadership; the study then offers a clear understanding of the methods and practices of the case study coach by organizing the findings of the study into four categories: communication techniques, organizational structure, coaching decisions and strategies, and the environment created. Within these four categories, themes emerged that helped answer the following research question: How is democratic coaching understood and practiced by a democratically-minded coach?

Relevance of the topic. Lithuania is not a large country and sports talents are not emerging very often. It does not depend on the social or economic situation of the country (Schnabel et al., 1994; Cedaro, 2000; Carling et al., 2009). When giving the opportunity for the talent to achieve positive results in sports, the talented personalities have to be selected, the purposeful training program has to be concluded as well as the monitoring of the practical implementation of the program has to be performed (Regnier et al., 1993; Durand-Bush, Salmela, 2001; Abernethy, 2008; Vaeyens et al., 2008; Bailey et al., 2010; Burgess, Naughton, 2010; Philips et al., 2010; Ford et al., 2011). Therefore it is very important that the training of the athletes has to be conceptualized, so a small quantity of the talented athletes is developed as optimally as possible. Inaccurate training system prevents the athletes from revealing their own potential. Thus, only the consistent sports training system shall stimulate a more rapid improvement of the sports results, as it is harder to identify a talent than to develop it (Balyi, Hamilton, 1999; Raslanas, 2001; Malina et al., 2004; Balyi, Williams, 2009; Stafford, 2010). It was considered for a long time that success in sports depends solely on the athletes, who are physically strong and developed tactically (Krasilshchikov, 2011), however, due to increase of the competition between athletes (De Bosscher et al., 2006) and major political and... [to full text] / Temos aktualumas. Lietuva – nedidelė valstybė, kurioje sporto talentai iškyla ne taip dažnai. Tai nepriklauso nuo šalies socialinės ar ekonominės padėties (Schnabel et al., 1994; Cedaro, 2000; Carling et al., 2009). Norint išugdyti talentingą sportininką, siekiantį didelių sportinių rezultatų, reikia atrinkti gabias asmenybes, sudaryti kryptingą rengimo programą ir nuosekliai ją įgyvendinti praktikoje (Regnier et al., 1993; Durand-Bush, Salmela, 2001; Abernethy, 2008; Vaeyens et al., 2008; Bailey et al., 2010; Burgess, Naughton, 2010; Philips et al., 2010; Ford et al., 2011). Todėl labai aktualu konceptualizuoti sportininkų rengimą ir taikyti optimalius talentingų sportininkų ugdymo metodus. Netiksli rengimo sistema neleidžia sportininkams iki galo atskleisti savo galimybių, o nuosekli sportinio rengimo sistema gali paspartinti sportinių rezultatų gerėjimą, padėti atrasti talentą ir jį išugdyti (Balyi, Hamilton, 1999; Raslanas, 2001; Malina et al., 2004; Balyi, Williams, 2009; Stafford, 2010). Daugelį metų buvo manoma, kad didelių sportinių laimėjimų gali pasiekti tik fiziškai stiprūs ir gerai taktiškai pasirengę sportininkai (Krasilshchikov, 2011), tačiau vis didėjant konkurencijai tarp sportininkų (De Bosscher et. al., 2006) ir stiprėjant sporto sektoriaus politinei bei komercinei reikšmei (Green, Oakley, 2001) kyla būtinybė kurti kiekvienos sporto šakos daugiamečio rengimo programas (Balyi, Hamilton, 2004; Balyi, Williams, 2009; Stafford, 2010). Jaunųjų sportininkų... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Athlete-centred coaching is proposed to enhance performance (Lyle, 2002), develop life skills (Kidman & Lombardo, 2010), and prevent athlete maltreatment (Kerr & Stirling, 2008). Despite the consistent recommendation, very little is known empirically about athlete-centred coaching, the extent to which it is implemented, or athletes’ experiences with this style of coaching. The purpose of this study therefore was to examine recently retired elite athletes’ perspectives on their most athlete-centred coach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight male and female recently retired Olympians. The findings of this study provided mixed evidence for coaching behaviours characterized as athlete-centred coaching as defined within the literature. Specifically, at least half of the coaches did not use stimulating questions, one of the most central athlete-centred tenets. Explanations for the mixed findings are discussed and a continuum of athlete-centred coaching is proposed. Lastly, suggestions for future research and practical implications are presented.

Athlete-centred coaching is proposed to enhance performance (Lyle, 2002), develop life skills (Kidman & Lombardo, 2010), and prevent athlete maltreatment (Kerr & Stirling, 2008). Despite the consistent recommendation, very little is known empirically about athlete-centred coaching, the extent to which it is implemented, or athletes’ experiences with this style of coaching. The purpose of this study therefore was to examine recently retired elite athletes’ perspectives on their most athlete-centred coach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight male and female recently retired Olympians. The findings of this study provided mixed evidence for coaching behaviours characterized as athlete-centred coaching as defined within the literature. Specifically, at least half of the coaches did not use stimulating questions, one of the most central athlete-centred tenets. Explanations for the mixed findings are discussed and a continuum of athlete-centred coaching is proposed. Lastly, suggestions for future research and practical implications are presented.

Mokyklose mokytojų vaidmenys gali būti įvairūs, jie keičiasi atsižvelgiant į mokinių poreikius. Vadovavimas veiksmingas tuomet, kai susilieja bendri vadovavimo aspektai ir profesiniai vadovaujančio profesionalo įgūdžiai. / Teachers’ roles in the schools may be different; they change according to student needs. Leading is more effective, when it combines aspects of general management and leadership skills of a professional.