Brooks, H; (2017) The importance of relationship: perceptions of the child - coach relationship within TLG’s Early Intervention programme. What can we learn from them? Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

This thesis presents the exploration of a child – coach relationship based within the ‘Transforming Lives for Good, Early Intervention’ programme. The programme offers support to children with or vulnerable to, social, emotional and mental health difficulties using the principles of coaching and emotional literacy. Coaching children in primary schools has gained little attention in the research community. Research in the US has begun to address this, although there has been a minimal focus on relationship. The wider coaching literature suggests the importance and impact of relationship. It also postulates the value of understanding and interacting with the process of relationship to enable better outcomes for coachees. In the broader research field, relationships have been found to play a key role in reducing the debilitating outcomes for children with or vulnerable to social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Such findings indicate the value of understanding and improving relational experiences for this group. This research explored the perceptions of children and coaches, with regards to their experience of relationship, on three occasions. This enabled the process of relationship to be better understood and offered an insight into how relational development can be supported. Acknowledging the co-constructed, subjective nature of relationship, this research adopted a qualitative longitudinal design using flexible methodological tools. Participant views were collected by semi-structured interview and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings included themes in line with a journey of relationship, capturing the importance of beginnings and endings, taking an interest, reciprocity and responsivity. Three further themes were found to interact with the relational journey. These were: the importance of play, coaching challenges and relational positioning. A Child – Coach Model of relationship was proposed. Specific recommendations for coaches, EPs and TLG’s use of this model, with regards to supporting the development of the child – coach relationship, were made.

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