Investigating the feasibility of creating a suite of dedicated attitude-themed support materials for coaches based on the tripartite component model

This document represents the conclusion of an application to be awarded the Masters in Professional Studies (MProf) qualification. The research undertaken relates to investigating the feasibility of creating a suite of dedicated attitude-themed support materials for coaches based on the tripartite component model. Through personal observation of supervising, supporting and delivering qualifications to coaches over more than 10 years I had repeatedly noticed that coaching conversations were increasing focused on affective and behavioural components: how the coachee felt and how they behaved/acted in certain situations. I felt that cognitive-themed questions, which elicited information about what the coachee thought about the given subject were often negligible. Had the marginalisation of cognitive-themed questions not had an impact on the session my research area would have been different, however I had felt for some time that by not establishing some form of balance between the three components of attitude: affective, behavioural and cognitive, that coaching discussions and resultant actions plans were often not as effective as they could have been and in extreme cases, action plans were exacerbating the issue. I have conducted research to establish whether coaches may benefit from a suite of dedicated support materials based on the tripartite model above. In the research, I cite the model as belonging to Rosenberg and Hovland (1960) however numerous others have formulated similar models using the three components, for example Eagly and Chaiken (1998) and Van den Berg et al (2006). This inductive research takes the form of a controlled experiment using a blended approach of simulations supplemented by one to one interviews. I begin my research document by introducing my topic and how my interest in it evolved.