Data regarding what participants feel could have improved the experience

in the life coaching and that if it were offered at school a lot of other people would benefit from it. When describing life coaching, she said, “...it could help get over certain things that you are going through, and if you want to set a goal then it could help you overcome that. It depends on how much time you have or how many sessions you go to, and it would help you be a lot more positive, and a few little small tips can really change...if you did that it could help a lot”. P5 found it hard to define but said, “...kind of like a course, but it’s going to someone, and then they give you small little tips to help you overcome something, so you have to do it yourself...it is just someone who directs you, even though you know what to do, she just directs you to your goal”.

Each participant had a slightly different view of what life coaching is based on their

subjective experience of the life coaching process. They also expressed the common idea of someone who helps them to overcome challenges, achieve their goals and learn new things. They all managed to incorporate life coaching into the day but felt it could benefit learners if it were offered at school. Both face-to-face and over the phone sessions were accepted and found not to hinder the life coaching process in any way.

All five participants would recommend life coaching to other learners and expressed its value in their lives as female high school learners. Participants expressed that life coaching was effective when conducted face-to-face and over the phone. Some participants preferred face-to-face as a personal preference but noted that coaching was just as effective

telephonically. Other participants emphasised the convenience of being life coached over the phone as they did not need to rely on others to transport them to and from sessions and could fit life coaching easily into their individual schedules.

4.6.8 Data regarding what participants feel could have improved the experience

The participants were asked what could have improved the experience for them. P5 replied that she enjoyed the process and could not think of anything to improve the experience. P3 responded that it would have been better if it was longer with more sessions and the

opportunity to set more goals. P2 found the life coaching experience “perfect” and that it was “just right”.

It was clear that each participant had a more positive experience and gained a lot from the life coaching process. None of the participants had ever experienced life coaching before.

They thus had no point of reference for which to compare the experience with and this could have resulted in them being unable to identify was the life coaching could have been

improved for them. If they were to experience more coaching or had experienced it before this study, they might have been in a more credible position to answer the question asked.

4.6.9 Summary

The post-coaching interviews were extremely positive, and each participant expressed their satisfaction with the life coaching process. Every participant learnt a lot from the life coach and was open to applying these lessons into their lives. Elena Aguilar (2013:6) found in her research that “coaching at its essence is the way that human beings, and individuals have always learned best”. Therefore, life coaching was a valuable way for the participants to learn new things that they could then use in their lives to reach their goals, overcome obstacles and experience more well-being.

Each participant experienced some level of success with regard to the goals they set. The participant’s stated numerous benefits they felt they gained through the life coaching

process including, reduced stress levels, better understanding of themselves, more positive mindsets, and practical strategies that they could use in their daily lives. It was evident that each participant experienced some degree of change in themselves.

The participants spoke about having increased levels of motivation, and this is aligned with the definition of a life coach as defined by Kirdök and Harman (2018) where they state that

“A relationship with a life coach can be encouraging, empowering and transformational…”.

The idea of life coaching as a transformative process is also important to note because each participant experienced some change in themselves and their lives as a result of going through the four life coaching sessions.

They all experienced increased levels of self-confidence and confidence in their abilities to deal with challenges in their lives. It is noted in the literature review that this period in a person’s life is characterised by “tumultuous transitions and difficult life experiences...”

(Berger, 2014:91) which can be perceived as a challenge in the life of a learner and cause a lot of stress. Stress is further increased by the “considerable pressure to perform well

obstacles and challenges to deal with, it was evident from the data collected that all the participants felt more confident in their own abilities to overcome these various challenges.

This is supported by Jessica Rae Berger (2014) who found that “life coaching for adolescents has become an increasingly popular pathway towards supporting teens in overcoming obstacles, maximizing potential and improving overall well-being” (Berger, 2014:91). The results from the research support the idea that life coaching can support learners and help them become more resilient and better able to tackle the challenges in their own lives.

When asked to define what life coaching was, they were able to identify that it was a relationship where the life coach helps and supports them in achieving goals and overcoming challenges.

Again, they were not able to critically evaluate the life coach and the life coaching sessions, and this could be due to the fact that none of the participants had ever experienced life coaching before. However, it is important to note that this could be because the life coaching process met the characteristics of “an efficient coaching process” as defined by Ellis (2008 as cited in Jarosz, 2016), including having an objective, being goal-direct, client-centred and rooted in the present while focusing on the future.

There were no significant differences noted in terms of having the life coaching sessions face-to-face or over the phone, and each participant was easily able to fit life coaching into their current schedules. All the participants recommended life coaching for other learners and found it to be a helpful tool in their own lives.

4.7 CONCLUSION

This chapter explained the research process that was followed, as well as the methods and instruments that were used to collect the research data. It is also dealt with the positive aspects that were experienced during the research process and the various challenges that were experienced. This chapter presented and analysed the data that was collected from the pre-coaching and post-coaching interviews as well as the journal entries submitted by each of the five participants. Quotations and the language used by participants were used to ensure the trustworthiness of the research and to convey each participant’s actual meaning and experience of life coaching.

The data was coded beforehand and presented as headings in this chapter. After the data was presented and analysed, it was interpreted to answer the research questions set at the beginning of the research. The research questions below were presented and answered in the data analysis and interpretation above.

● What is life coaching?

● What is the learner’s understanding of life coaching before being coached?

● What is the learner’s overall perception of life coaching after being coached?

● How has the learner changed, if at all, since the outset of life coaching?

In conclusion, it was found that life coaching was a positive experience for female high school learners in a selected school in Gauteng Province and that each participant gained multiple benefits from going through the four life coaching sessions. Life coaching can be a very beneficial tool that learners could greatly benefit from having while they navigate their way through adolescence and the various challenges they face during their school career.

In the next chapter, chapter 5, the findings will be discussed, conclusions will be drawn, and the research is summarised. Recommendations will also be made in chapter 5.

CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS