Exploring the facilitators and barriers to implementing Emotion Coaching following whole-school training in mainstream primary schools

Background: Emotion Coaching is a relational approach to supporting social and emotional development, promoting relationships and supporting behaviour. Initial research into its use in educational settings has shown promising results. However, there are concerns about the extent to which Emotion Coaching has been implemented in primary schools that have been trained in the approach. Aims: This research sought to examine the implementation of Emotion Coaching in primary school settings further. First, the research examined the extent and ways in which Emotion Coaching was considered useful to school staff. Second, it explored the factors that were perceived to act as facilitators and barriers to effective implementation. Method: This pragmatic research used a sequential two-phase design. Phase 1 involved an online questionnaire for staff (n=40) across six primary schools which explored their views of Emotion Coaching. The second phase involved a more detailed examination of Emotion Coaching in two case study schools. Semi-structured interviews (SSIs) were conducted with staff from a range of roles in each school, including head teachers, to undertake a detailed exploration of their views of Emotion Coaching and its implementation. Results: The results revealed that staff overwhelmingly thought that Emotion Coaching was a useful approach for professionals. Thematic analyses undertaken separately for each school revealed that staff were finding Emotion Coaching useful in a range of situations and perceived it to be having a positive effect on children. Key facilitators to implementation included quality training, a school ethos where wellbeing was central and an actively engaged senior leadership team (SLT). A key barrier to implementation was the pressure faced by school staff due to time constraints and curriculum demands. However, it is acknowledged that all the results should be interpreted with caution given the potential positive bias in the sample of participants who opted to take part. Conclusions: Educational Psychologists (EPs) have an important role in providing quality training and implementation support for those trained in Emotion Coaching. SLTs in primary schools should actively commit their staff to using the approach following training. Wider policy decisions which prioritise wellbeing would facilitate the implementation of the approach further.