| Summary: | Coaches learn from a number of different situations and their past experiences influence what they choose to pay attention to and learn (Werthner & Trudel, 2009). Understanding the process of learning to coach can be explored holistically over the course of an individual’s lifespan. This thesis is guided by Jarvis’ (2006, 2007, 2009) theory of human learning, which takes a psychosocial perspective to understanding the way that individuals perceive their social situations, change their biographies, and become who they are over the course of their lives. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the biographies of five Canadian women coaches to understand how the multitude of experiences throughout their lives have contributed to their learning and coaching development. Four in-depth interviews were conducted and transcribed verbatim with each coach. From these interviews a biographical narrative analysis was created to document how each coach learned throughout her life. The transcripts and narrative analyses were member checked to augment trustworthiness. Four articles and one research note comprise the results section. The main points in this dissertation are as follows: (a) experiences in primary and secondary socialization influenced the coaches’ approaches to coaching; (b) specific meaningful learning experiences helped the coaches develop and become experienced as coaches; (c) values develop throughout life experiences and influence coaching actions; (d) Jarvis’ theory is used to explore my own process of learning throughout the PhD degree, and how this learning was influenced by my lifetime of experiences to date; and (e) a brief research note highlights how the research process was a co-creation between the researcher and the participants. These findings add to the emerging body of literature on female coaches and coach learning by further understanding how the coaches’ biographies determined what kinds of learning opportunities they each found meaningful; the importance of social connections in learning to coach; and the importance of reflection in understanding the interconnections of learning from life experiences. The study may motivate women coaches in understanding how lifelong learning influences their career paths and it informs coach education programs about the muddled reality of coaches’ learning and development.
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