Trial to test the impact of Emotion Coaching, a four-step relational approach aimed at developing personal, social and emotional skills, including self-regulation, in children

Emotion Coaching is a training programme for early years practitioners that takes a relational approach.

The aim is to build warm, responsive relationships between practitioners and children through self-regulation and co-regulation. The Emotion Coaching training programme was developed by Emotion Coaching UK (ECUK) and delivered in partnership with Norland. The trial was conducted across 153 English settings with practitioners working with three- and four-year-old children. It aimed to support practitioners to use the Emotion Coaching framework when responding to children experiencing heightened emotions with a view to helping them understand their feelings, their cause and how to manage them.

Statistical analyses suggest a moderate positive effect on practitioners’ reactions, responses, and reasoning with respect to their own and other peoples’ emotions. This skill is fundamental to supporting children’s emotional development and improve practice in early years settings. Despite the short project timeframe, there was a small positive impact on children’s self-regulation and pro-social behaviour. Practitioners tended to view Emotion Coaching positively, particularly when it was supported by leadership teams, peer support and inclusion in everyday routines and setting policies. The trial outcomes have resulted in Emotion Coaching becoming one of the EEF’s Promising Programmes.

Norland team members

Project co-lead: Dr Louise Gilbert

Delivery partner lead: Emma Burns

Lead trainer: Dr Janet Rose

Trainer: Dr Rebecca Digby

Trainer: Tamsin Grimmer

Financial controller: Angela Land