Coaching psychology: the effect of coaching by values in forming Arab teens’ personal and collective self-esteem in the state of Israel

This research aims to contribute to the literature on the field of coaching psychology on development of identity with a focus on the psychological aspects of marginalized populations. In particular, it will add to our understanding of the effect of coaching by values in forming Arab teens’ personal and collective self-esteem in the State of Israel. These Arab teenagers who are Israeli citizens, yet occupy a marginal position in society, live between conflicting cultures and seek to find an identity and a set of values that enable them to find their place in society. The use of a coaching model will add to our understanding of how an intervention can assist such groups struggling to find a strategy of identity and healthy personal and collective self-esteem. The research contributes both to the literature on self-collective esteem formation and to understanding the role of coaching in working with marginalized people in order to increase its effectiveness in a complex reality and to develop a model that I and other coaches could use.
A sequential design methodology was used in this research in order to answer the research question: is a values-based coaching program an effective intervention for developing the personal and collective self- esteem of the Arab youth. The first stage used a method of questionnaires (the quantitative part) to 400 students in the 11th and 12th grades, aiming to explore the current average (numerical) level of personal and collective self-esteem and to discover the dominant type of values of the research population. Another aim was to explore the correlations between these terms.
The second, qualitative part used semi-structured interviews both before and after the coaching sessions. Ten students participated in ten coaching by values sessions, one session a week.
The quantitative part was analyzed using the SPSS program to gain a general understanding of Arab teenagers’ perspectives towards their collective and personal self-esteem and of their system of values. This part sought to find any relationship between the collective and personal self-esteem and values. The qualitative part was analyzed using a thematic method.
Results indicate central findings in relation to the overall research question:
● There is a lack of awareness in Arab teenagers of self and collective esteem.
● There is a relationship between realizing values and increased self-esteem and collective self-esteem.
● There is a fundamental need to build relevant interventions focused on values in order to form healthy self-esteem and collective self-esteem in Arab teenagers.
● The coaching program as an intervention-based values reveals itself as a useful intervention. Therefore, it should be extended to both parents and teachers.