Applying Coaching in Improving Executive Function of Peer Coaching: A Task-Oriented Study on Social Skill Training Design for a School-age Child with Autism

• Main Authors: Hsiao, Wen-Chin, 蕭文欽
• Other Authors: Chen, Hsin-Yi
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2015
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/tg52f3

碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 特殊教育學系 === 104 === In this action research that promotes inclusive education in elementary schools, the researcher employed general students’ peer support to help students with autism develop social skills and improve the capabilities of both student parties. A task-oriented coaching mode was employed to train 4 general students and a student with autism, all of whom are in their senior year. The researcher explored the training effectiveness of the executive functions of general students and the social skill improvement of the student with autism. The implementation of the coaching mode and reflection on the executive action research were also investigated. To explore facts, the researcher collected a wide variety of data through observations, interviews, reflection, assessment, and self-report methods, as well as comparative and integrative analysis. The coaching process was implemented in 2 phases. In Phase 1, the researcher assumed the coach and trained the executive functions of general students to design a social skills training scheme for school-age children with autism. Phase 2 involved peer coaching, in which the general students had their executive functions trained and they then assumed the student coach to train the social skills of the student with autism. The current the researcher underwent a long-term coaching process during the action research and enriched their experience in applying the coaching mode to promoting inclusive education. Such learning experience is extremely meaningful to the researcher regarding educational practices for children with special needs. In this action research, the following 6 results were derived: (1) The 4 general students exerted integrated executive functions that were conducive to solving complex problems. (2) A training method combining student life experience and task orientation effectively improved the 4 general students’ executive function. (3) The student with autism demonstrated improved social skills and manifested favorable adaptive behavior in an inclusive environment. (4) After the peer coaching stage, the student with autism exhibited differences in performance in the social skills training. Specifically, the nonverbal group adaptive behavior outperformed the verbal communication behavior. (5) The general students and the student with autism demonstrated improved capabilities after the implementation of the coaching process, thereby creating a win-win inclusive education for both parties. (6) A goal-oriented coaching mode is suitable for enhancing student capability; however, the advisor’s role functions and pedagogies are the keys to success. Finally, according to the results and discussion, the researcher proposes suggestions to frontline teachers and future researchers from 4 aspects: promotion of inclusive education in school, student executive function training, coaching mode application in the education field, and research works.