Observation and Immersion as a Pedagogical-Strategy for developing Micro-political Literacy

The messy socio-political realities of working life are often a shock to neophyte practitioners moving from formal education to real world practice. Accruing or protecting desirable conditions for working life such as autonomy, resources, or protection against vulnerability, is a key area of development for neophyte practitioners. Learning to read the micro-political (MP) world and learning to manoeuvre within it to secure these contested desirable working conditions is not something many are prepared for. This study sought to further understanding about the pedagogical strategies of immersion, engagement, and reflection within a community of practice for the development of micro-political literacy (MPL) in a neophyte coach (NC) just out of formal coach education. The study found these strategies were most effective in increasing the NC’s MPL and partially effective in transferring this improved understanding to practice. Findings highlighted that the benefits of these pedagogical strategies can be both direct through greater exposure to MP stimuli, improved reflection on experiences, and increasing recognition of opportunities to take micro-political action (MPA), as well as indirect by providing well-being support through an emotionally challenging process, encouraging further development of practice philosophy and decreasingly likelihood of burnout thus increasing practice time for development.