Volume 4, Article 3
Preliminary Validation of Adaptations for Coaching Research of Three Scales in Employed and Student Samples
Mike Murphy, Hugh O’Donovan and Pat O’Leary
Citation: Murphy, M., O’Donovan, H., & O’Leary, P. (2023). Preliminary Validation of Adaptations for Coaching Research of Three Scales in Employed and Student Samples. International Journal of Coaching Psychology, 4, 3, 1-9. https://ijcp.nationalwellbeingservice.com/volumes/volume-4-2023/volume-4-article-3/
Abstract
Aims: Coaching Psychology is a relatively new area in the discipline, and has great research potential. Research is limited, however, by a scarcity of coaching-specific measures. This paper reports on a preliminary validation study for adaptations to coaching of three psychometric scales which are commonly used in counselling and psychotherapy research – the Attitudes to Seeking Professional Psychological Help – Short Form, the Self-Stigma of Seeking Help scale, and the Perceived Stigmatization by Others for Seeking Help scale.
Methods: An online survey-style, cross-sectional methodology was used. The scales were adapted for use with two different populations – workers and students. Intercorrelations between scales, and internal consistency values, were calculated for the full sample and for both samples independently.
Results: Patterns of intercorrelations were consistent with those reported for the original scales in both groups. Cronbach’s alpha values were acceptable for all scale versions.
Discussion: The results provide preliminary support for the validity and applicability of these scale adaptations in coaching psychology research. Future research can develop on this work by gathering larger samples to facilitate factor analysis, and by assessing test-retest reliability.
Conclusions: These scales adaptations can be useful research tools in developing knowledge of attitudes to seeking coaching, and facilitators and barriers. Further development of coaching-specific research tools is desirable.
Keywords: Attitudes to seeking coaching; self-stigma; public stigma; validation; psychometric scale; measurement
Processing dates: Submitted: 28 July 2022; Resubmitted: 1 December 2022; Accepted: 6 December 2022; Published: 19 April 2023
Biographies
Mike Murphy is with the School of Applied Psychology, University College Cork, Ireland
Email: mike.murphy@ucc.ie
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8379-3813
Hugh O’Donovan is with the College of Adult Continuing Education, University College Cork, Ireland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9508-554X
Pat O’Leary is with the College of Adult Continuing Education, University College Cork, Ireland
https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9447-4817