A qualitative study of Irish first year undergraduate students reasons for non-engagement with the provision of emotional competency coaching

Very little is known as to why students choose not to participate in emotional intelligence coaching programmes. This qualitative study was undertaken with a sample of Irish undergraduate students (n=20), who chose not to engage with the provision of coaching at a technical college in Dublin. The reasons for non-engagement were explored by means of face to face interviews. The four principle reasons for non-engagement were: failing to appreciate the value of coaching; a perceived heavy academic workload; the fact that coaching was not a mandatory component of the academic curriculum; and fear that coaching may reveal weaknesses of character. Based on the findings from this study, it is recommended that institutes of higher education consider providing emotional competency coaching as a mandatory aspect of the First Year undergraduate curriculum.