Because the Edge Foundation is committed to evidence-based practices, we engaged in a two year, $1M study to research the effects of personal coaching on the lives and academic success of college students with ADHD. This is the largest and longest such study ever conducted, and was the first to provide quantitative data on the effects of ADHD Coaching in this population and was completed in August 2010.

Two-Year Research Project

A select Wayne State University research team from the College of Education’s Center for Self-Determination and Transition conducted a three-phased, two-year project to measure the effectiveness of the Edge coaching strategies on the academic, professional, and social achievements of students with ADHD in college and university settings.*  The 24-month project had three key phases:

  • Phase One: Preparation (June-December 2008)
  • Phase Two: Pilot Study (January-July 2009)
  • Phase Three: Field Test (August 2009-June 2010)

The final phase of the project was a controlled study with randomly-selected experimental and control groups, specifically designed data collection instruments and protocols, and use of standard scientific statistical methodologies.

Important links:

A report of the research findings and a link to the full report can be found on our ADHD Coaching Research Page.

The Wayne State University Research Team

The Wayne State University Research Team consists of three key faculty associated with the Center for Self-Determination:

Sharon Field, Ed.D., is principal investigator and project director for the Edge research study. Dr. Field is Professor (Research) in the Department of Administrative and Organizational Studies in the College of Education and co-director of the Center for Self-Determination and Transition. The author of three books, 10 book chapters, 24 journal articles and 11 instructional-materials packages, Dr. Field has procured and directed research grants totaling more than $3.1 million.

Shlomo Sawilowsky, Ph.D., is the research and statistical specialist for the Edge research study. He is Professor of Educational Evaluation and Research, Wayne State University Distinguished Faculty Fellow, and Assistant Dean of the College of Education. He is the past president of the American Educational Research Association SIG/Educational Statisticians, who published his most recent book (Real Data Analysis, 2007). Dr. Sawilowsky has published more than 100 articles in social- and behavioral-science research methodology, statistics, psychometrics, and evaluation journals (including Russell A. Barkley’s prestigious The ADHD Report), and has served as principal investigator or evaluation specialist on numerous research grants.

David R. Parker, Ph.D., served as a Research Associate at Wayne State’s College of Education to help complete this study.  Currently a Postsecondary Disability Specialist at CRG, Inc. and the Executive Editor of the Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, Dr. Parker has published 13 peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters.  His research interests include ADHD coaching, self-determination, technology-infused learning strategies, and Universal Design for Instruction.  Dr. Parker has served as the administrator of LD/ADHD disabililty services offices at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Connecticut and Project Director for a STEM/Students with Disabilities National Science Foundation grant project at Washington University in St. Louis.

Laura Rolands is a Research Assistant with Wayne State University and the owner of My Attention Coach. She holds a Bachelors degree in Business from Michigan State University and a Masters Degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. Laura provided data collection, analysis, communication support and coaching expertise to the study.

Alan Hoffman, Ed.D., serves as a consultant on all phases of the project. Dr. Hoffman is Professor of Theoretical and Behavioral Foundations, the co-director of the Center for Self-Determination and Transition, and chair of the Marriage and Family Psychology program in the WSU College of Education. As a psychologist and former director of student affairs on college campuses, he provides important expertise to the project.

Deerbrook Charitable Trust granted the Edge Foundation a two-year $805,000 grant and the Foundation of Coaching granted the Edge Foundation a $40,000 grant to study the impact of coaching on the academic success rates of college students. Additional funds are provided by Edge Foundation CEO and Founder, Neil Peterson. The grants provides a controlled study of coaching for 250 students with ADHD at seven universities across the country. The grants also provide the research team to evaluate the impact of coaching on these students. Universities selected represent small and large, public and private, 2-year and 4-year institutions.

 

*The ADHD coaching model used by Edge was developed by JST Coaching, LLC.