A Principles-Focused Evaluation of a Coach Education Program

Abstract

There is little evidence that coach developers have put research on coach education programs (CEPs) to use. Thus, the purpose of this study was to conduct a principles-focused evaluation of a CEP. Principles-focused evaluation posits an evaluation should be judged by whether it produces information that is useful to program stakeholders. The evaluation took place over 17 months and included three phases. In Phase 1, the evaluator assessed and built readiness for the evaluation. In Phase 2, the evaluator worked with five practitioners from the CEP to develop a list of principles guiding the program. In Phase 3, the evaluator and CEP practitioners collaboratively designed and implemented an evaluation of the principles. The evaluation findings revealed how the practitioners applied the principles, along with which principles were meaningful to them. These findings were used to make changes to the original list of principles and to teach others in the program about the principles. Moreover, the practitioners underwent changes in thinking and behavior as a result of participating in the evaluation. This study demonstrates the potential of program evaluation, evaluation theories, collaborative inquiry, and renewed focus on how, or if, findings are used by practitioners.