Preservice Physical Education Teacher’s Development of Adaptive Competence

Abstract

Purpose: This study had two purposes. One purpose was to explore preservice physical education teachers’ development of adaptive competence in six core practices during planning and teaching in physical education. The second purpose was to understand how rehearsals and repeated teaching as two pedagogies of practice-based teacher education were perceived by preservice teachers in their development of adaptive competence. Methods: This was a mixed-methods study using descriptive analysis to analyze data collected from lesson plans and a collective case study to analyze semistructured interviews. Findings: Preservice teachers made the most adaptations in the core practices of coordinating and adjusting instruction, establishing rules and routines, and providing precise instruction. Rehearsals and repeated teaching were perceived as effective strategies to facilitate the development of adaptive competence in teaching. Conclusions: Findings are discussed in terms of three contemporary teacher education conceptualizations: (a) adaptive competence, (b) core practices in physical education, and (c) practice-based teacher education pedagogies.