Development of a Coaching Program to Increase Student Independence in Educational Activities

Technological advancements necessitate heightened autonomy and self-regulation in learning, imposing significant cognitive and organizational burdens on students. According to previous research in this field, coaching programs have a significant impact on students' academic performance in educational activities. However, little is known about which programs or tools can enhance autonomy in educational activities and help students independently overcome obstacles associated with the difficulties of blending online and offline learning. The aim of this study is to develop and implement a coaching program aimed at enhancing students' autonomy in educational activities and to assess its effectiveness. The empirical tasks involve collecting data before and after the program by participants from both the control and experimental groups, analyzing and interpreting the results obtained, as well as conducting guided interviews with participants from the experimental group. The object of this study is the autonomy of students in educational activities. The subject of the study is coaching as a tool for enhancing students' autonomy in educational activities. The results obtained through quantitative data analysis and feedback analysis from participants in the coaching program for enhancing autonomy in educational activities allow us to conclude that the program developed within this work, based on the self-regulated learning (SRL) model, is effective. The developed coaching program, consisting of 6 sessions focusing on discussing metacognitive, motivational, and cognitive components, leads to a statistically significant positive shift in the indicator of autonomy in educational activities among students who participated in the program. No statistically significant differences were found among students who did not undergo the program after the 6-session period. The most significant dynamics are observed in indicators such as goal setting, time planning, seeking help, and creating external conditions. Most coaches noted that discussing metacognitive skill components helped them feel more independent in learning. Additionally, many participants provided positive feedback on sessions discussing motivational skills, where students' values supporting their interest in completing tasks in the educational environment were revealed. A field for future research may be translating existing or developing new questionnaires to assess the level of autonomy in educational activities. Additionally, evaluating the coaching program by only one expert may be considered a limitation. Furthermore, this coaching program can be conducted with a larger number of participants and groups in future research. Moreover, future research may discuss the factor of the selective function of attracting participants to the coaching program, which initially selects statistically different control and experimental groups. Comparing the obtained results with the results of previous studies allows us to suggest a probable similarity in the results—coaching positively affects the increase in students' autonomy in educational activities. The obtained results have significant theoretical and practical significance, opening up new prospects for further research in the field of developing students' educational autonomy through coaching technologies. All the theoretical, methodological, and empirical tasks set within this work have been accomplished, allowing us to declare the aim of this work achieved.