Designers of the original survey proposed that the respondents would benefit in two ways. These two benefits made this truly a collaborative effort between those who designed the questionnaire and those who completing it. Following is a statement offered to those considering completion of the second survey:
You can sign up to receive the report findings from this study when they become available. . . These reports will also be made available at no charge to the general coaching public through the Library of Professional Coaching. The reports will identify which modes of development have been found to be the most effective. . . . [Furthermore, results from this survey may] increase the credibility of the coaching profession. As Francine Campone, one of the creators and initiators of the original survey has indicated, a culture of research and evidence needs to be created in the field of professional coaching. The more we learn from one another about professional coaching practices, the more collectively knowledgeable we will become. The more knowledgeable we become, the greater the opportunity for building evidence-based coaching strategies and tools. The better the strategies and tools the more effective we will be as coaching professionals. The more effective we become as a profession, the greater the demand will be for our services.
Focus of This Study
This fourth report is the first in a series regarding potential differences in responses to the Development of Coaches survey based on demographic factors. In this initial study, we focus on a typical distinguishing feature among human beings (and coaches): the gender of respondents. Of those who responded to the first survey, a major (66.2%) were females. Of the 58 respondents to Survey Two, 77.6% were female—a slightly higher percentage than in Survey One.
In analyzing the data for this fourth report, we combined the responses to both surveys – having found them to be closely aligned in our previous studies (using the same data that are being analyzed in this report). Furthermore, we went beyond the calculation of means and variances for the female and male populations. We conducted simple T-Tests to determine if the differences between the responses of men and women were significantly different regarding any of the questions we presented in our three previous reports.
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Rey Carr
May 31, 2016 at 3:40 pm
When it comes to surveys, particularly those conducted via the Internet, it makes little difference if the survey was completed “by a widely ranging group of coaches,” or by organizations with “no stake in the outcomes,” or distributed by “practitioners.” What counts is the reliability and validity of the survey.
The results of the survey are great for talking points or a place to start a dialogue about the issues raised, but they cannot and should not be understood as representative of coaches. These surveys are typically suspect when it comes to generalizing the results to the coaching industry or population. It doesn’t mean you can draw conclusions, but the data should always be accompanied by a set of “limitations” or “cautions” in using the data.