While development is considered fundamental to the coaching profession, it has primarily been investigated in the context of its application to clients rather than on coaches themselves. The field of coaches’ development is not only under-researched but also a contested terrain. With an absence of standardized established road to practice, we see competing spaces (training bodies or universities) and conflicting approaches to development (some more competency-based centered, others favoring a more holistic view). Yet, the turn to embrace coaching as a dedicated profession or incorporate it into existing responsibilities is far from easy. This transition often necessitates multiple shifts in thinking, acting, and feeling, requiring the cultivation of skills and capabilities essential for effective and ethical practice. In particular, gaining reflexivity appears a crucial ability to proficient practice. In fact, this overall journey into coaching is characterized by both evolutions in terms of techniques and ways of being, that potentially present challenges and tensions. If left unaddressed, these tensions may impede coaches’ development. However, if effectively harnessed, they can play a formative role in shaping coaches’ progress. Against this backdrop, this research investigates how the tensions experienced by participants in a coaching education program contribute to their development as coaches. We intend to answer this question through an empirical qualitative study to be conducted with participants of a French accredited and certified coaching program. We will be using the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) to invite interviewees to reflect on tensions experienced over their program, especially as it pertains to the articulation of theory and practice. We aim to study whether and how they engaged in reflexivity, and how this shaped their development as a coach. Overall, we aim to document the reflexive pathways to proficient practice in coaching education.

This abstract was co-written by Pauline Fatien, PhD & Ludivine Calamel, PhD