Educative mentoring in sport coaching: a reciprocal learning process

Abstract

Educative mentoring positions mentors and mentees as co-learners within a collaborative relationship, while emphasising reciprocal learning. However, research exploring educative mentoring is limited to teacher-mentors, restricting our understanding of the potential learning opportunities an educative stance provides mentors in other occupational fields. Consequently, the aim of this research was to explore the learning of sport coach mentors, with a specific focus on whether they were able to learn reciprocally from their mentees in a two-way process. As part of a wider project, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 sport coach mentors employed by a sport governing body, with interview transcripts subject to reflexive thematic analysis. Findings indicate that when an educative stance is adopted by a sport coach mentor, they are able to engage with collaborative learning opportunities with their mentees, which results in possibilities for growth and professional development. Practical implications for sport coach mentor training are discussed.