Providers of Continued Professional Education: Constructed Perceptions of Four Elementary School Physical Education Teachers

Abstract

The purpose of this inquiry was to gain insight into the influence of the three primary providers of continued professional education—educational institutions, professional associations, and employers—on teachers’ continued professional learning. Four experienced elementary school physical education teachers were selected as participants using the typical case purposeful sampling technique. Participants were asked to share their constructed perceptions regarding the providers through a series of three semistructured, open-ended interviews. Data were inductively analyzed using the constant comparative analytic strategy. The result indicated that the teachers did not perceive educational institutions, professional associations, or employers to be contributing significantly to their continued professional learning. They concluded that continued professional learning is more closely related to the teacher’s motivation and commitment levels and to the teaching realities of marginality, isolation, and monotony that influence those levels.