Fiona Graham1, Sylvia Rodger2, Jenny Ziviani3, Virginia Jones4. 1. a Rehabilitation Teaching and Research Unit, School of Medicine , University of Otago , Wellington , New Zealand. 2. b Division of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences , The University of Queensland , Australia. 3. c Children's Allied Health Research, Queensland Health, Conjoint Professor, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences , The University of Queensland , Australia. 4. d Centre For Postgraduate Nursing Studies , University of Otago , Christchurch , New Zealand.
Abstract
AIMS: This study examined strategies mothers reported as effective in facilitating children's successful performance in activities they identified as goals during Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC). METHODS: Twenty-nine mothers of children with occupational performance issues engaged in OPC. A random sample of 44 /157 (28%) coaching sessions were video-recorded from which the audio recording was analyzed using a general inductive approach to explore the nature of strategies reported as effective by mothers. RESULTS: Two major themes emerged: (1) Context-focused; or (2) Child-focused. Context-focused strategies were characterized by mothers' actions that made the performance context more conducive to children's success. The emphasis of mothers' intention in Context-focused strategies was achievement of the task with minimal stress. Context-focused strategies included subthemes of Adjust Manner, Create Distance, Add Structure and Routine, and Teach. Child-focused strategies required higher levels of engagement with children in the application of strategies and were focused on children's skill development. Subthemes included Collaboration and Offer Choice. CONCLUSIONS: Mothers engaged in coaching identified strategies which they found supported children's performance, attesting to the existing capacity of mothers in identifying and evaluating effective ways of enhancing children's performance. Findings suggest the potential of coaching as a capacity-building, context-based intervention to improve children's performance.
AIMS: This study examined strategies mothers reported as effective in facilitating children's successful performance in activities they identified as goals during Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC). METHODS: Twenty-nine mothers of children with occupational performance issues engaged in OPC. A random sample of 44 /157 (28%) coaching sessions were video-recorded from which the audio recording was analyzed using a general inductive approach to explore the nature of strategies reported as effective by mothers. RESULTS: Two major themes emerged: (1) Context-focused; or (2) Child-focused. Context-focused strategies were characterized by mothers' actions that made the performance context more conducive to children's success. The emphasis of mothers' intention in Context-focused strategies was achievement of the task with minimal stress. Context-focused strategies included subthemes of Adjust Manner, Create Distance, Add Structure and Routine, and Teach. Child-focused strategies required higher levels of engagement with children in the application of strategies and were focused on children's skill development. Subthemes included Collaboration and Offer Choice. CONCLUSIONS: Mothers engaged in coaching identified strategies which they found supported children's performance, attesting to the existing capacity of mothers in identifying and evaluating effective ways of enhancing children's performance. Findings suggest the potential of coaching as a capacity-building, context-based intervention to improve children's performance.