Impact of Life-coaching on Students' Wellbeing and Engagement Levels in a Preparatory School in Qatar

This study examined the impact of an evidence-based coaching intervention within a Qatari government preparatory (middle) school. The sample consisted of 40 male students aged between 13 and 16 years old (mean age 14.2). The sample was randomly selected and randomly divided into two groups to conduct a randomized controlled trial. The coaching program was part of a coaching club established for the purposes of this study. The coaching group students took part in a twenty-four-session evidence-based coaching program (teacher facilitated) that included topics such as goal setting, leadership skills, coaching, and personality types. Pre and post measures were obtained for both groups. The measures consisted of the Big-Five personality traits survey and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. In addition to the quantitative measures, interviews were held with eight randomly selected students from the coaching group to increase the qualitative dimension of the results. Both groups showed a decrease in satisfaction with life as well as most of the personality traits of the period of the school year. However, the decrease was overall slighter with coaching group students. In addition, the coaching group showed a 40% higher rate of goal achievement compared with the control group. Moreover, the interviews strongly showcased both the students’ interest in the coaching program and its contribution to their wellbeing and engagement with their academic and personal goals. This study revealed the urgent need to pay attention to students’ well-being in Qatar’s schools and proposed life coaching as a promising intervention to fill that gap. Limitations of the study and directions for future research are discussed.