Meeting the Teacher Educator Technology Competencies: Professional Development Opportunities for PETE Faculty

Role breadth self-efficacy captures how professionals feel about their ability to undertake expanded occupational roles. For physical education teacher education (PETE) faculty, integrating Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) learning experiences into PETE is beyond traditional requirements that follow national and/or state accreditation standards. Although some programs integrate CSPAP, little is known about PETE faculty’s perspectives on integrating CSPAP. The study aimed to explore PETE faculty’s experiences learning and teaching about CSPAPs. Individual, semi-structured interviews (M = 39.82 min, r = 21–66 min) with PETE faculty (N = 21) were conducted and analyzed. The four themes were as follows: (a) inspired, (b) encouragement, (c) CSPAP champions, and (d) barriers. PETE faculty have greater self-efficacy to be CSPAP champions when inspired and encouraged by peers in PETE, K-12 teachers, through research, and professional development. To effectively integrate CSPAP training into PETE, experiences within school placements and mentorship from experienced teachers are crucial. Incorporating CSPAP into the teacher certification standards could foster broader adoption.

In physical education, policy takes center stage in guiding and holding K-12 and physical education teacher education (PETE) faculty accountable. However, most research, highlighting the policy illiteracy and lack of engagement among physical education and PETE faculty, originates from outside the United States (e.g. Lambert & Penney, 2020). This study explores PETE faculty’s experience, knowledge of, and engagement in policy work, using a mixed-methods approach. Through surveys (N = 32) and interviews (n = 7) with PETE faculty during summer 2022, three themes were identified using inductive thematic analysis: (1) navigating the multi-faceted dimensions of defining policy, (2) whose job is it anyway? and (3) amplifying voices in the decision-making arena. This study offers an emerging understanding of the status of PETE faculty members’ knowledge of and engagement in policy within the United States and suggests that more policy actors are needed in the field of physical education.

The role of technology in physical education instruction has expanded greatly over the past few years. Because of the influence that physical education teacher education (PETE) faculty have on the development of teacher candidates’ technology knowledge and skills, this study sought to examine the technology integration selfefficacy levels of PETE faculty. Participants included a sample of 76 PETE faculty from the United States who completed the Educator Technology Self-Efficacy Survey consisting of items related to the ISTE Standards for Teachers (Standards-T) and physical education–specific technology. Statistical analyses revealed a moderate overall rating of technology self-efficacy (M = 3.7, SD = 0.63), with facilitating and inspiring student learning and creativity with technology being the highest rated of the Standards-T (M = 3.83, SD = .66). Faculty selfefficacy for projectors and faculty self-efficacy for pedometers were among the highest rated specific PE technologies. Findings suggest that PETE faculty are generally confident in their technology integration capabilities, which is a positive for PE teacher candidates.Subscribe to TPE

Discourse about, and the preparation of teachers regarding, the inclusion of all students has been lacking in Latin America broadly, including Chile. The purpose of this study was to examine the perspectives of physical education teacher education (PETE) faculty members and undergraduate students on inclusion and social justice in Chile. Grounded in social constructionism, the research design of this qualitative inquiry was descriptive multiple case study. The 16 participants were PETE faculty—that is, two assistant professors and one adjunct faculty member (n = 3) and three heads of programs (n = 3)—as well as undergraduate students (n = 10) across three PETE programs in Chile. The primary data sources were 12 individual semistructured interviews with heads of the program and faculty and three focus group interviews with undergraduate students across programs. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis to draw on different themes capturing the perspectives on inclusion and social justice within the Chilean physical education curriculum. Findings were presented through themes and subthemes across PETE programs. Three major discussion themes are presented: (a) disability framed within a deficit model, (b) inclusion as an adapted pedagogical practice, and (c) inclusion as a rights-based model for equality of opportunities. We conclude, analytically, that a lack of critical critique of the deficit model of disability, adapted pedagogical practices alone, and sameness manifests forms of marginalization to students with disabilities in physical education.

Occupational socialization theory has been extensively applied to study the recruitment, professional preparation, and ongoing socialization of inservice physical education teachers. Less is known, however, about the socialization of physical education teacher education (PETE) faculty members. This qualitative panel study aimed to understand early career faculty members’ perspectives on their preparation for and experiences in the role of teacher educator. Participants included 23 faculty members and data were collected through interviews over five years. Research team members analyzed the data using both deductive and inductive analysis strategies. Data analysis resulted in three themes that unpacked participants’ experiences relative to teaching in higher education. The findings indicated that in the United States (US), PETE doctoral education provides teaching opportunities, but lacks explicit teacher education training. Moreover, doctoral education focuses on research, but initial positions tend to focus on teaching, and PETE faculty members are compelled to develop into effective teacher educators. Taken together, faculty responsible for leading US PETE doctoral programs should consider the importance of embedding intentional and progressive teacher educator-related opportunities supplemental to graduate program requirements.

Research has highlighted the role of workplace experiences in relation to outcomes, such as job satisfaction, among inservice physical education teachers. More recently, scholars have extended this line of scholarship to explore how higher education faculty members experience and navigate the sociopolitical context of higher education. Guided by occupational socialization theory, the purpose of this study was to understand the interactions among workplace experiences, which include perceived organizational support, marginalization, isolation, and emotional exhaustion, and their association with physical education teacher education faculty members’ perceived job satisfaction. Toward this end, a theoretically driven conceptual model was developed and evaluated using structural equation modeling. The sample comprised 283 United States (US)-based physical education teacher education (PETE) faculty members, and data were collected through an online survey that aimed to measure the identified study variables. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to verify the factor structure before advancing to structural equation modeling. The results of structural equation modeling supported the hypothesized relationships among variables, C3(141) = 294.56, p < .001; RMSEA = .075 (90% CI = [.066, 0.085], p < .001); SRMR = .057; NNFI = .962; CFI = .969. While some of the pathways were not significant, the associations of perceived organizational support on emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction were partially mediated by marginalization and isolation. Faculty members’ perceived organizational support and emotional exhaustion were important predictors of the perceptions of job satisfaction. Further research exploring the skills faculty utilize to increase and manage emotional exhaustion is warranted.

Physical education teacher education (PETE) faculty members are leaders of the PETE profession. Their duties involve generating new knowledge, training emerging physical education (PE) teachers, serving the community and mentoring future PETE scholars. Despite playing a pivotal role in higher education, little research exists documenting their perceptions of mattering within higher education. This study explored the construct of perceived mattering within PETE faculty members and how these feelings interact within the sociopolitical structures of higher education. Data collection occurred through semi-structured interviews with 30 PETE faculty members within the United States. Data were analyzed deductively and inductively. Qualitative data revealed three major themes: (a) the role of external networks and service opportunities as strategies to navigate departmental underappreciation, (b) the need for acceptance within hierarchical social structures and (c) how teaching and research value orientations can create challenges and opportunities. Creating community partnerships with local schools, providing proper guidance throughout faculty socialization and embracing mentorship during early career years can help increase feelings of mattering within PETE faculty members and realign the overarching purpose of PE within the educational system.

Teacher socialization theories have been extensively applied to understand the sociopolitical stressors faced by inservice physical education teachers. On the other hand, little is known as it relates to how physical education teacher education (PETE) faculty members experience and navigate stress in their jobs. Through the lens of occupational socialization theory, this study sought to understand US PETE faculty members’ experiences navigating the stress of their work in sociopolitical department and university environments. Participants included 36 US PETE faculty members (20 female, 16 male). Data were collected using in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Results highlighted the ways in which participants experienced and navigated the stress associated with their work environments. Specific themes included: (a) ambiguous, conflicting, and high expectations for performance contribute to role stress, (b) department cultures can challenge and marginalize physical education, (c) (development of) personal approaches and coping strategies to manage role stressors, and (d) networks of support are integral to faculty development and socialization. Results are discussed with implications for how various roles and the internalization of those roles impacted participants’ perceived stress while addressing the intra- and interpersonal strategies participants employ to navigate these stressors. Recommendations related to both doctoral education and continuous faculty development are provided and future directions for research are forwarded.

As novel approaches to post-graduate education emerge and professional learning concepts evolve, there is a need for additional research investigating the processes by which physical education teacher education (PETE) faculty and administrators conceptualise and launch non-traditional graduate programming. The purpose of this study was to investigate stakeholders’ perceptions of the factors influencing the diffusion of a one-year, contextually based, full-immersion master’s degree in PE. Six stakeholders, including individuals from a mid-sized university, a global fitness corporation, and a rural K-12 school district all located within the United States, participated in semi-structured interviews. Deductive content analysis methods were used to analyse the data. Utilising Roger’s Attributes of Innovation, eleven sub-themes emerged. Findings represent stakeholders’ perceptions of facilitators and barriers to the implementation and diffusion of an innovative effort to deliver graduate education. Challenges and lessons learned provide insight for PETE faculty and administrators seeking to expand graduate education beyond bricks and mortar.

ABSTRACTPurpose: Scholarship is essential for the growth and development of the physical education field. Over time, scholarship expectations have changed, forcing faculty members to alter time spent for research, teaching, and service. Social-cognitive career theory (SCCT) presents a model for understanding performance and persistence in an occupational environment. The interconnected aspects of SCCT have different emphasis related to self-efficacy, outcome expectations, or personal goals pursuit. This study explored physical education teacher education (PETE) faculty members’ continuing engagement in scholarly activity through SCCT. Method: Data collection included interviews with 9 senior PETE faculty members who met the criteria for “productive scholars over time.” Curriculum vitae were collected to verify productivity. Results: Data analysis revealed guidepost themes that included collaborating, finding balance, defining a research process, and maintaining a strong work ethic. Roadblocks encountered included other obligations and lack of support for research. Conclusions: Participants demonstrated strong self-efficacy; held high, positive expectations for success; and set very specific, clear, and deliberate goals. Participant behavior was moderated by their personal attributes (capacity to build relationships, set goals, and maintain interest and passion) and was tempered by the environments in which they worked. Fostering similar behaviors has the potential to guide future and current PETE faculty members in creating supportive and encouraging atmospheres for sustained productivity. The lack of literature relating to this topic warrants the need for more research exploring the influential factors and benefits gained from sustained scholarly productivity over time for PETE faculty members.

The physical education teacher education (PETE) faculty charged with oversight and delivery of initial teacher licensure programs confront several challenges. Some necessitate responses to revised and new standards, while others can be reframed as timely opportunities for improvement and innovation, whether in response to or in anticipation of rapid, dramatic societal change. Six examples of challenges as opportunities are discussed in this chapter: (a) the need to determine the skills, essential knowledge, values, and sensitivities for work practices in the schools of the future; (b) the dual priority for evidence-based practices in PETE and in school programs; (c) PETE faculty members’ obligations to adapt their pedagogical practices and revise preservice programs in concert with expert, veteran teachers from schools with exemplary programs; (d) manifest needs to make choices among competing, evidence-supported physical education program models; (e) needs and opportunities to redesign PETE programs, especially those located in kinesiology departments; and (f) emergent policy imperatives to demonstrate the value-added effects, both short- and long-term, on tomorrow’s teachers.

Faculty members in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) at Georgia State University (GSU) have conducted a series of inquiries in the tradition of self-study for program coherence, understanding, design, assessment, and revision for over 19 years. One of the main lines of scholarly work in that series has been a concerted effort to study the processes by which pre-service teachers acquire pedagogical content knowledge that is defined around the construct of model-based instruction (MBI) for physical education. In MBI, teachers learn the knowledge, skills, and reflections necessary to select, plan, implement, and assess effective instructional plans from a variety of approaches – not a single plan that represents the ‘one best way to teach’ this content to learners in schools. The PETE faculty have conducted and reported several ‘institutional’ or ‘programmatic’ self-studies (Erickson LB, Pinnegar S, Young, JR, A programmatic self-study of practice: exploring teacher educator knowledge. In: Young JR, Erickson LB, Pinnegar S (eds) The ninth international conference of self-study of teacher education practices. Brigham Young University Press, Provo, pp 98–101, 2012; Loughran J, Searching for meaning in structuring preservice teacher education. In: Erickson L, Pinnegar S, Young J (eds) Navigating the public and private: negotiating the diverse landscape of teacher education. Proceedings of the eighth international conference on the self-study of teacher education practices, Herstmonceux Castle, East Sussex, England. Brigham Young University, Provo, pp 133–136, 2010) of factors that influence the development of pre-service teachers’ knowledge base for MBI. Together, these studies have provided us with deep insights that have steered our PETE program for many years. The purpose of this meta-analytic chapter will be to share that extended self-study by synthesizing several related research projects that continue to guide the PETE program at GSU.

Background/Purpose: Physical education teacher education (PETE) programs have experienced enrollment decline, leading some PETE faculty to consider increasing efforts to recruit new students to their programs. This aspect of the current study sought to investigate PETE program coordinators’ perceptions of possible causes for decreased PETE enrollments as well as their role in, and barriers to, recruiting preservice teachers. Methods: Thirty-six PETE program coordinators (12 males and 24 females) participated in in-depth interviews. The data were coded using a standard interpretative approach grounded in inductive analysis and constant comparison. Results: PETE faculty members perceived declining enrollments to be related to negative public perceptions of education, low-quality K-12 physical education, academically unprepared PETE students, and restructuring programs to emphasize other kinesiology areas. Though compelled to recruit, PETE coordinators questioned their responsibility to do so and reported lacking time and training to be effective. Discussion/Conclusions: PETE coordinators favor recruiting strategies that are less time-intensive and match their academic skill set.

The purpose of this study was to describe Japanese physical education (PE) teachers’ beliefs about teaching students with disabilities in integrated classes. Participants were five Japanese PE teachers (one women and four men). The research was descriptive and qualitative, using an interviewing method. Data were gathered in interviews, analysed and presented as descriptive narratives and themes. Themes that emerged from the data were: satisfactions, ambivalences and concerns; professional preparation inadequacies; and communication, collaboration and support. PE teacher education faculty must provide apposite training for teachers to more competently teach students with disabilities and better ensure that they have satisfying experiences doing so. The study brings to the literature information on Japanese PE teachers’ beliefs about integration and teaching students with disabilities. This is particularly important as teachers in Japan grapple with the current historic, societal and educational transition from segregated to integrated schools.

Purpose: This study’s purpose was to explore professional career paths into Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE). More specifically, this study explored critical and/or impactful experiences in learning to do the work of PETE. Method: Participants were 27 professionally active PETE faculty members. Data sources included semistructured interviews, living graphs, and curriculum vitae. Results: Findings describe points in time (when) and impactful events/experiences (how) critical in professionally developing as a teacher educator, including intentionally designed learning experiences, building a support network, teaching experience, coursework and other resources, and trial and error. Discussion/Conclusion: Framed in occupational socialization theory, results are discussed in terms of the inconsistencies of doctoral programs and highlight that emerging PETE faculty did not feel well prepared for teaching roles. Those who felt best prepared to deliver teacher education courses experienced scaffolded, often customized, learning experiences in their doctoral program. Implications for the future of physical education are discussed.