Emotions and pedagogical change in physical education teacher education: a collaborative self-study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Emotions are foundational to teaching and teacher education practice. They can influence all aspects of the change process, including considerations of relationships, pedagogical and curricular decisions, and organizational structures. While the study of emotions in teaching has increased since the 1990s, less explicit attention has been paid to the role of emotions in teacher education practice. Using a sociocultural perspective on emotion, the purpose of this research was to consider the emotional aspects of pedagogical change experienced by teacher educators. The context in which change occurred was the development and enactment of a blended course (i.e. using face-to-face and online formats) in one physical education teacher education program. Collaborative self-study of teacher education practice methodology guided the research design, including the processes of critical friendship, and data collection and analysis strategies. Emotions were omnipresent throughout the pedagogical change process and were expressed by both the teacher educator whose practice was being examined and the critical friend. Emotions were often experienced in contrasting ways and in tension to each other; for example, trust-distrust, and uncertainty-confidence. The explicit focus on the emotional dimension brought to life the teacher educators’ experiences, taking the analysis beyond the technical and rational implementation of decisions and offering a humanistic perspective on the pedagogical change process. The focus on emotion carries implications for policies and practices related to the ongoing professional development of teacher educators.