ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the evidence for coaching. It focuses on the research that has been carried out on key elements of coaching. The chapter also considers the studies that have been conducted on coaching as a whole, particularly as it relates to students. It explores the three staples of coaching: goal-setting, action-planning and feedback. The chapter then considers another aspect of coaching that is 'reality-checking'. A key feature of coaching is its focus on reality. The sequential focus on 'Goal' and 'Reality' in that order is very much supported by the evidence. In a randomised controlled trial (RCT) or 'true experiment' participants are randomly selected from the population of interest and then randomly assigned to either the 'experimental group', which receives coaching, or the 'control group', which does not. Statistical significance is a prominent feature of educational research.
