The Influence of Occupational Socialization on Novice Teachers’ Practical Knowledge, Confidence and Teaching in Physical Education

This study aimed to explore the ecology of teacher preparation, specifically focusing on preservice teachers’ development and teaching practices throughout their experience in a physical education teacher education (PETE) program. Using a qualitative case study design, participants included four novice physical education teachers. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, critical incident timelines, structured observations, and artifacts. Results are presented according to the five systems of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, including: PETE coursework as a foundation, the importance of involvement outside of PETE, the crucial links between PETE and community, the negligible influence of negative factors, and the dynamic process of teacher education. The findings of the study demonstrate how various ecological systems within a PETE program contribute to preservice teachers’ development. The study suggests that PETE programs could enhance their curriculum by fostering interactions across different ecological systems to optimize preservice teachers’ learning and professional readiness.

Stage 1: Survival During Stage 1, which may last throughout the first full year of teaching, the teacher's main concern is whether she can survive. This preoccupation with survival may be expressed in questions the teacher asks: "Can I get through the day in one piece? Without losing a child? Can I make it until the end of the week? Until the next vacation? Can I really do this kind of work day after day? Will I be accepted by my colleagues?" Such questions are well expressed in Ryan's enlightening collection of accounts of first-year teaching experiences (3).

Novice teachers face several challenges during their first years of socialization in schools, often feeling unprepared in managing the full range of teaching duties. If teacher retention and attrition are to be improved, research on the difficulties encountered by novice teachers in diverse contexts and cultures is required. There is a lack of studies regarding physical education (PE) teachers’ induction processes, especially outside Anglophone countries. The aim of this study was, from an occupational socialization perspective, to examine how Swedish novice PE teachers experience, perceive and manage their induction process. Through a single-case study design with embedded multiple units of analysis, we interviewed eight Swedish novice PE teachers. Based on thematic analysis, the results show that Swedish novice PE teachers experience several challenges related to reality shock, marginalization and isolation during induction. We identified three approaches used by the novices as central to successfully managing challenges of induction in the Swedish context: (1) socializing into a community of colleagues, (2) performing the role of the PE teacher as health promoter and (3) maintaining a critical teaching perspective. We conclude that these novice teachers’ socialization relies heavily on the individual, and therefore we argue that the induction process could be further facilitated by formal organizational support. This paper confirms long-standing difficulties reported in other countries, and contributes with new knowledge of how the approaches used when managing challenges of induction are contextually dependent due to the social and political surroundings of education.

ABSTRACTThe purposes of this study were: (a) to analyze the factors determining the quality of relationships between a novice physical education (PE) teacher and his students’ families and (b) understand the implications of these relationships for his professional identity. The data stemmed from detailed teacher’s diaries written by the participant throughout his first five years of teaching. The data analysis followed several rounds of cyclical inductive-deductive processes in order to identify and classify the patterns related to the aforementioned purposes. The results, presented in two sections, show two distinct sets of factors, which, respectively, had very different implications for the development of the teacher’s professional identity. On the one hand, in the first three years of teaching, there appeared 11 specific ‘struggle factors’ (6 socio-cultural and structural factors and 5 family prejudices toward PE) that threatened the teacher’s initial pedagogical passion and lead to a great deal of hesitation and discouragement on his part; on the other hand, in the fourth and fifth years, due to the teacher’s ongoing commitment and (self-)reflective practice, there emerged eight ‘success factors’ (one from the families and seven from the teacher) that transformed his previous discouragement into hope and self-confidence. Besides the detailed analysis of all these factors and their implications, some additional recommendations for PE teacher education programs and further research are provided.

Guided by occupational socialisation theory (Lawson [1983a] Toward a model of teacher socialization in physical education: The subjective warrant, recruitment, and teacher education. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 2(3), 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1123/jtpe.2.3.3; Lawson [1983b]. Toward a model of teacher socialization in physical education: Entry into schools, teachers’ role orientations, and longevity in teaching (part 2). Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 3(1), 3–15. https://doi.org/10.1123/jtpe.3.1.3; Lortie [1975]. Schoolteacher. University of Chicago Press) and culturally relevant physical education (CRPE) (Flory and McCaughtry [2011]. Culturally relevant physical education in urban schools: Reflecting cultural knowledge. Research Quarterly Forexercise and Sport, 82(1), 49–60), this study aimed to identify the challenges experienced by two novice physical education teachers working in urban schools. To accomplish this, two participants completed five written reflections and five in-depth interviews each across eight months. Despite strong academic backgrounds, successful internships in urban settings, and teacher education programs intentionally designed to prepare them for teaching in urban school settings, the participants described two overarching challenges they experienced: a lack of resources and issues implementing the curriculum. Considering the participants’ prior experience and context-specific training to work in urban school settings, the results reinforce the necessity for additional training, support, and stronger partnerships between universities, schools, and districts to bolster teacher retention in urban schools.

Problem Statement: Nearly 75 % of novice teachers are faced with the problem of classroom discipline. With these problems are also faced and novice physical education teachers on as well. Research Questions: How novice physical education teachers solve breaking discipline during physical education class in the gym? Purpose of the Study: The main objective of this paper is to explore and analyse the phenomenon of breaking discipline during physical education lessons on the 2nd level of primary schools. The further aim is to analyse and describe the main problems which novice physical education teacher dealt. Findings: The most important findings are that novice physical education teacher is facing with many types of breaking disciplines in the gym. One of the reasons is also an emotional character of physical education as a school subject. Conclusions: Building authority is a very important element to abiding discipline during physical education lessons. Also, there is a wide group of tools for improving and maintaining discipline in the gym.

Background: Research regarding beginning teachers' typical responses to the difficulties encountered at work relates to the professional, personal and environmental aspects of teaching. At the professional level, research describes mainly the beginner's difficulties in dealing with discipline problems, in using teaching methods efficiently, in planning and organizing assignments, in creating motivation in learning, evaluating student work and creating interaction with the pupils' parents. At the personal level, research shows a great discrepancy between the great expectations that young teachers may have of themselves on one hand, and recurring feelings of impaired self-confidence on the other. At the environmental level, the research shows that beginners have difficulty in integrating in the school environment. Teaching physical education is different from teaching most other subjects since physical education focuses on motor skills rather than verbal-academic skills, so that its teaching tools are different, and the status of the subject and those who teach it is different. Therefore, the question is whether the characteristic behavior of beginning teachers in general is typical of physical education teachers as well. Aims: The purpose of this research is to portray the strengths and difficulties of novice physical education teachers as perceived by the teachers themselves and to analyze the significance of the findings. Methods: Data were collected by open-ended questionnaires and structured interviews that were conducted with 62 beginning physical education teachers. Results: Beginning physical education teachers face similar difficulties as beginning teachers of academic subjects, but with much greater intensity. In the interpretation of the findings, the researchers identified five problems encountered by novice physical education teachers: (1) novices tend to feel and show a high degree of dependence on others; (2) they ignore the wider educational circle outside the classroom; (3) novices emphasize the importance of values, but are frustrated by their own inability to implement them; (4) they suffer from a gap between their initiatives and the environment's lack of appreciation; and (5) they possess a limited knowledge of practical pedagogy. Conclusions: It emerged from the present study that beginning teachers need to get meaningful support by: (1) being allowed to make mistakes in independent decisions and receiving suitable guidance to foster professional development; (2) being given the opportunity to link theory and practice independently; and (3) having the opportunity to learn methods to enable them to teach moral values. The article recommends considering ways to provide this support in teacher training and in the induction of new teachers in the schools.

Teachers' Sense of Efficacy: An Important Factor in School Improvement

This study examined thought processes including problem-solving and interpretations of instructional situations of expert and novice physical education teachers at two grade levels. Four expert and four novice teachers (two each at the third grade and two each at the seventh grade) participated in the study. Thoughts, concerns, decisions, and awarenesses of expert and novice teachers during instruction were evaluated as well as their students' perceptions of the instruction. A total of 144 students were interviewed. Class rules and management routines established during the first week of the school year by two of the expert teachers (one at each grade level) were also identified and discussed. The results revealed substantial differences between expert and novice teachers in their thinking processes. The experts in this study resembled experts who have been investigated in the classroom and other fields. Specifically, the expert teachers when compared to novice teachers: (a) could more accurately interpret situational events pertaining to instruction, (b) achieved greater insight and made more inferences from pertinent teacher and student behavior cues available to them, (c) provided more descriptive information and included more creative solutions to problems presented to them, (d) were more concerned with individual student needs in both hypothetical and real situations, (e) focused on pupil learning and attentiveness to a greater extent in both hypothetical and actual instructional situations, (f) primarily based decisions during interactive teaching on student skill performance, with a low percentage of management concerns, and (g) stimulated their students to spend more class time (three-fourths of instructional time) thinking about skill performance and activity concepts and less time being confused about procedures, drills, skill performance and class routines. The two expert physical education teachers selected for detailed study spent considerable time during the first week of school introducing and rehearsing effective class routines which were maintained throughout the year. The novice teachers in this study were concerned primarily with managerial and procedural facets of instruction.

To be recognized as an accredited program, Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) programs in the country must abide by guidelines put forward by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), in collaboration with the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The guidelines are divided into nine standards and identify a number of outcomes (NASPE, 1998). The purpose of this study was to determine the nature of the exchanges between novice teachers (NTs) and cooperating teachers (CTs), when using the NASPE Standards (1998) as a reference point, and determine if the focus of the exchanges differed over time and according to data source. Six pairs of CTs and their NT participated in the study. Data were collected through recorded conversations between NTs and their CT as well as NTs' logs. Data showed that the majority of conversations focused on planning and instruction (Standard 6) and management and motivation (Standard 4), while few related to diverse learners (Standard 3), growth and development (Standard 2), and communication (Standard 5). The small amount of information shared by CTs in some standards indicates a need for PETE programs to share the guidelines with CTs to make them aware of the importance of offering a variety of topics to interns, because CTs are the primary source of information during this crucial experience.

The retention of new teachers is a noteworthy issue among physical education teachers. One way to combat attrition is with the implementation of induction programs that have a strong emphasis on mentoring. Mentoring creates a growth-in-connection for the novice physical education teacher as well as the mentor. The relational cultural theory (RCT) develops relationships based in situational boundaries between the mentor and the mentee. RCT explores the nature of human development based on the individuals involved in these relationships. The purpose of the study was to explore the perception of the relationship between a novice physical education teacher and his mentor and to determine if the mentoring relationship between the participants reflected the RCT model. Observations, interviews, and the researcher’s journal were used as a means for data collection. In this study, meaningful relationships occurred in the working relationship, as well as the personal relationship. It was indicated that when meaningful relationships are established, novice physical education teachers are more confident in their teaching abilities and are more likely stay in the profession.

Purpose: Guided by the cultural relevance cycle, this study examined experiences of two novice physical education teachers in urban schools. We focused on successes that teachers encountered while navigating their novice years. Methods: Two purposefully sampled participants completed five journal entries and five semistructured interviews lasting between 45 and 90 min each. To promote trustworthiness, we utilized multiple coders, a peer debriefer, and triangulated data from multiple sources. Participants reviewed themes and responded to researchers’ interpretations. Results: We present the results through three major themes. The first theme involves knowledge of students and community. The second theme describes belonging in the school and community, and the third theme discusses curricular realignment. Discussion and Conclusion: By focusing on elements that empowered novice teachers to find success, initial teacher preparation programs and in-service teacher mentoring programs in urban school districts might identify teaching experiences that may contribute to novice teacher retention.

Teachers today must not only be prepared to use technology but must also know how to use it (Butler, D., K. Marshall, and M. Leahy. 2015. Shaping the Future: How Technology Can Lead to Educational Transformation, 1st ed. Dublin: Liffey Press). The purpose of this study was to explore two primary physical education initial teacher educator’s (PEITE’s) professional learning experiences while introducing iPads into a physical education module. The module’s focus was to promote quality teaching, learning and assessment of fundamental movement skills in physical education with pre-service generalist primary teachers. It was a qualitative study utilising lesson study methodology. Data included audio files, video recordings and field notes. Following analysis, three themes were developed: learning the technology, managing the technology and integrating the technology. The findings showed that for the PEITEs, time was a valuable commodity while grappling with technological knowledge, technological pedagogical knowledge and pre-service teachers’ physical education knowledge. Self-directed learning was an enabler to facilitate technological and pedagogical competence for the PEITEs. Although managing aspects of the technology, such as limited Wi-Fi access and technical support, was a challenge, the PEITEs continued to integrate iPads into their teaching.

Background: Teacher education is expected to support pre-service teachers (PSTs) as they respond to the challenges of becoming self-reliant learners, and position them within the context of a professional learning approach. In doing so, teacher educators need to exemplify lifelong characteristics of learning in our practice and attitudes, utilizing professional self-understanding and critical recollections. This in turn, one hopes, would inform the development of a more effective physical education teacher education (PETE) programme that nurtures and reinforces specific professional behaviours that facilitate PSTs', and in turn student, learning. Purpose: To consider how, as a teacher educator, I potentially portray my continuing professional learning to PSTs, hoping to support PSTs in their endeavours to identify and sustain their own professional learning requirements and contribute to developing a pedagogy of teacher education . Research design: Utilising Brookfield's four lenses through which to view practice, recollections of instances of my own professional learning experiences and practices gleaned from involvement as a physical education teacher educator in a PETE programme are shared. Findings: My professional learning is guided by (1) evidence-based teaching that is informed by what I have researched and experienced about the realities of teaching in schools, with a willingness to devote time to making that knowledge available and interesting to PSTs, (2) a commitment to developing PSTs as lifelong learners, and (3) modelling lifelong learning practice in PETE. Conclusions: Recollections of instances of one's own professional learning experiences and practices gleaned from involvement as a physical education teacher educator in a PETE programme is the beginning of a continuum. Providing evidence of the extent to which a physical education teacher educator's professional learning rhetoric translates into changes in the practice of PSTs, affects their experience as a qualified physical education teacher and, by association, impacts on school physical education lessons and the associated (effective) teaching and learning of physical education are essential steps in identifying features of programme effectiveness and not merely the presence of practices. The development of a more effective PETE programme is the ultimate target.

Background: A plethora of new terms and digital pedagogies have been making recent headlines in higher education with the promise, or threat, that digital technology will revolutionise the way in which universities operate. Blended learning is part of this digital revolution and institutions of higher education worldwide are increasingly adopting it as a new mode of delivery. The exposure of blended learning as central to mainstream higher education has been heightened exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Purpose: Challenged by the argument around the concept of ‘blended’ being ill defined, and also given the lack of practical ‘blended’ experiences in physical education teacher education (PETE), this paper aims to explore physical education teacher educators’ and pre-service teachers’ (PSTs’) enactment and experiences of an integrated approach to blended learning. Method: Three physical education teacher educators and two classes of physical education PSTs participated. The integrated blended approach was designed through a block structure which allowed intended outcomes, teaching and learning activities and assessment tasks to be aligned and interconnected. Data collection occurred over two academic years for the same three physical education teacher educators and two different cohorts of PSTs. Focus groups interviews were conducted with the three teacher educators and a voluntary sample of PSTs. PSTs’ learning blogs were also analysed. Results: Findings were presented in three categories: Development of strong building blocks; Blended learning ‘releases the teaching and learning from the grips of the lecturer’; and Assessment in a blended (and non-blended) environment. We attempted to go beyond the binary humanist assumption about blended learning by designing an integrated approach with a clear but flexible structure. That is, with an organic alignment and purposeful integration of all its instructional components. Conclusions: When introducing blended learning in a (physical education) teacher education programme, we suggest designing an aligned and integrated approach structured in blocks, where all instructional components are interconnected and informing each other, enhancing prior knowledge. Given the growing role of digital technology for teaching and learning in educational policies and new PETE curricula, we advocate for the publication of more research-based experiences on blended learning in PETE programmes that might be replicated in other PETE programmes. This would encourage colleagues to explore the implications of digital technology and learn from other PETE contexts and also the sustainability of digital technology as an established mode of delivery.