Teacher Induction Pathway of Physical and Health Education: A Case Study

Abstract

This article aims to describe teacher induction (TI) with reference to two physical and health education (PHE) teachers based on three variables: 1) self-efficacy, 2) motivation and 3) satisfaction. Our case study relies on individual telephone interviews conducted during each teacher’s first five years of teaching and allows for describing the perceptions of these two teachers who persevered in the profession. The findings reveal that self-efficacy relates above all to harmonious relations with students and teaching colleagues, an experienced teacher in particular, and evolves over the course of TI through a process of introspection undertaken by the new teacher. A surprising observation is that, despite the difficult conditions of substitute teaching during TI, teachers maintain that it offers diverse contexts and opportunities for learning about the profession; thus, substitute teaching appears to positively impact self-efficacy. The relatively high motivation fluctuates over time, based on whether it is approached positively in terms of professional relations, or negatively in terms of job insecurity. The same holds true for satisfaction, which alters over the years, either upwards if based on positive contact with students or downwards if based on difficult hiring conditions. During the induction process, satisfaction evolves towards the quest for academic freedom and an awareness of the teacher’s impact on his or her students. The conclusion explains how a strong feeling of self-efficacy can contribute to perseverance in the profession during the TI phase, even in the presence of difficult job conditions.