Physical Education Teacher Education Students Research Articles

Jon’s Heroes in Training: A Cross-Sector Collaboration Serving University and Community Stakeholders

Jon’s Heroes in Training (JHT) represents a strong cross-sector collaboration that was created and has evolved over the past five years. JHT is an after-school program where children (ages 3–22) with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis come to the local university to engage in high-quality physical education lessons designed and implemented by physical education teacher education (PETE) students currently taking a required Adapted Physical Education class. This article discusses (a) the process required to establish the shared mission and vision of JHT and the role of the Office of Civic Engagement (OCE); (b) the negotiated roles and responsibilities of stakeholders, including university faculty from PETE, PETE students, children with ASD and their families, and local non-profit organizations; (c) the impact of JHT on its stakeholders; and (d) lessons learned and future directions.

Creative dance – practising and improving … what? A study in physical education teacher education

Creative dance, that is to say, movements, with or without music, which allow participants to express ideas, thoughts, and feelings, are sometimes accompanied by a ‘there is no right or wrong way to move’ rhetoric. This may reinforce the impression among physical education teacher education (PETE) students, who often have limited experience of (creative) dance, that there is nothing to practise in creative dance and that this activity is merely directionless movement. In this paper, however, based on Aggerholm's notion of practising movements, we explore an occasion in a PETE course where a magic moment occurred, indicating that the students had practised and ‘figured out’ something that made this moment possible. The purpose of the paper is to explore the knowledge in movement that PETE students were practising as they participated in creative dance. The purpose is also to shed light on what pedagogical practice contributed to enabling such practising. Video documentation and short interviews with students in one PETE course and one continuing professional development course for physical education teachers indicate that the magic moment was made possible as the students’ practised making sense of moving in non-predetermined – creative – ways and appreciating the expressive dimension of movement. Laban's movement analysis framework seemed, along with the teachers’ knowledge of movement, to be an important element in the pedagogical practice that made the magic moment possible.

Community Partnership Strategies to Facilitate Service-Learning Opportunities in PETE K–12 Schools

University and local K-12 school partnerships are essential for physical education teacher education (PETE) programs, as they provide valuable avenues for practicum and student teaching experiences. In addition, practicums within K-12 schools provide valuable opportunities for PETE students to develop physical activity leadership skills. Thus, it is essential to create sustainable and mutually beneficial university and school partnerships. One way to do so is through service-learning, which focuses on equal partnerships between K-12 schools, the university, and other parties involved (e.g., university students, community members). However, it can be challenging to develop meaningful field and service-learning experiences for pre-service teachers (PST) due to a myriad of reasons (e.g., location, resources). This article discusses strategies for community, K-12 school, and university partnerships using a service-learning approach. Recommendations for developing sustainable partnerships are also provided.

Supervisors’ guidance of PETE students’ reflections at practicum: creating conditions for different learning journeys

ABSTRACT Physical education teacher education (PETE) students’ reflections on their practicums are influenced by how their supervisors guide them. Supervisors often evaluate and discuss PETE students’ teaching by guiding their focus on essential aspects to consider. This exploratory case study focuses on how supervisors’ guiding styles in reflective conversations affect how PETE students make meaning of their teaching. Reflective practitioners, in this case PETE students, make sense of practical situations from their own perspectives as part of their teaching practice. Supervisors’ guidance is essential here, because it can change PETE students’ understanding by (re)directing their attention to meaningful aspects when framing their teaching and help them to examine it from new perspectives. However, the findings indicate that supervisors’ various guidance affect how PETE students experience their learning journeys during practicum. In this study, the participating PETE students’ experiences of practicum differed: either they experienced a controlled journey that restricted their teaching due to predefined rules and condemning attitude toward pupils, or they experienced an adventurous journey that enabled them to find their own paths as a teachers.

The professional readiness of student-teachers in physical education in Ukraine's war-torn areas

Background and Study Aim. Military conflicts present unique educational challenges and complexities for students specializing in physical education. These conditions can profoundly impact their professional preparedness and alter their educational priorities. Thus, this study aims to assess the level of professional preparedness of physical education student-teachers living in areas of military conflict. Materials and Methods. Three Ukrainian universities contributed students to the study, two from the eastern conflict zones (including Kharkiv) and one from the western shelling-prone area (Ivano-Frankivsk), with a total of 157 participants (61 male, 96 female). The survey 'Level of Professional Preparedness of Physical Education Student-Teachers', containing 39 questions, was used. For statistical analysis, the PyCharm CE development environment and various Python programming language libraries were utilized. Results. Statistical evaluation using the Kruskal-Wallis test revealed notable differences in student responses among the university groups. Further analysis using the Mann-Whitney test for each pair of universities revealed differences between pairs of groups. However, there are no statistically significant differences between universities 1 and 2 from Kharkiv (war zone). The fewest correct answers were received on the question about the influence of a teacher's professional qualities on the overall growth of a student and the question about the atmosphere for learning. Conclusions. The professional competencies of physical education teachers play an important role in the educational process. It is noted that there is a need to improve teacher training in various aspects, including the impact of their professional qualities on student success.

Exploring pedagogies of embodiment in physical education teacher education

ABSTRACT Background Various forms of social scientific approaches to the body, utilising concepts such as embodiment, embodied identity, and subjectivity have garnered increasing attention in physical education and physical education teacher education (PETE). On this backdrop, pedagogies of embodiment have been researched as an exciting, new topic in physical education. Nevertheless, little research on the topic has been carried out in PETE. Purpose The purpose of this project was to explore how PETE students experience learning new movements and to discuss the implications of these experiences for pedagogies of embodiment in PETE. Theoretical perspective: The study is framed with the help of Richard Shusterman’s philosophy of somaesthetics [Shusterman, R. 2012. Thinking Through the Body: Essays in Somaesthetics. Cambridge University Press.]. More specifically, we have been interested in the aspect of his theory that concerns the cultivation of embodied awareness during the learning of new movement activities, in particular the concepts of pragmatic somaesthetics and feeling better are helpful. Methods we have followed a group of five students who were doing their first semester of physical education as a part of their general teacher education. We have generated and analyzed three different kinds of data from the students: (i) a written story about ‘a good physical education lesson’, (ii) a logbook from a project about alternative movement activities, and (iii) individual interviews. The data have been analyzed following the guidelines for ad-hoc meaning generation [Kvale, S., and S. Brinkmann. 2009. Det kvalitative forskningsintervju [The qualitative research interview]. Gyldendal akademisk.]. Findings A central analytical point in this paper is connection between the experiences that the students brought with them from their own histories in physical education and the experiences they had during the project where they explored a new movement activity. We have explored how this connection is expressed through emotion-words like enjoyment, fun, mastering, and more negatively loaded notions such as embarrassment and fear. We also find that the students’ express little explicit concern about learning. Rather than talking about their experiences of practising a new movement activity in terms of learning, the students mainly applied a language of mastering, which was more about having a sense of accomplishment, of being able to do something that they didn't believe they were able to do. Conclusion Based on our analysis, we argue that the ability to notice, pay attention to and language one’s own experiences of moving is a form of embodied reflexivity, which must be considered as integral to pedagogies of embodiment. As such, an aspect of pedagogies of embodiment in PETE would be the development of empathy that enable future physical education teachers to become aware of and be in tune with bodily experiences of their pupils as well as themselves.

Teaching students with disabilities: a comparison of PETE students’ self-efficacy in South Korea and the United States

Abstract The twofold purpose of this study was to: (a) analyze Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) students’ self-efficacy in teaching students with disabilities and (b) examine similarities and differences in PETE students’ self-efficacy toward teaching students with disabilities between South Korea and the United States (U.S.). Grounded in self-efficacy theory, the research design was a multiple-case study. The participants were undergraduate PETE students from South Korea (n = 8 Korean students, 6 men and 2 women) and the U.S. (n = 6 White students, 5 men and 1 women). Purposive (criterion) sampling was used identifying and recruiting participants. The data sources were a demographic questionnaire and interviews via Zoom technology. The data were analyzed using within-case analysis and cross-case analysis. Four major themes were exposed, which were: (a) self-efficacy differed, (b) school-based experiences, (c) education and rights, and (d) feelings and reactions. Further, there were similarities and differences in the participants’ experiences. We discussed these findings and the implications.

Developing embodied competence while becoming a PE teacher: PETE students’ embodied experiences and reflections after micro-teaching

ABSTRACT Background: Becoming a PE teacher is a multifaceted process that involves many complexities and contextual specificities. Entering their physical education teacher education (PETE) programme, student teachers are in a vulnerable position as they are uncertain of their professional subjectivities. During their PETE programme, students are introduced to different understandings and practises regarding the body. However, the importance of the body in the development of leadership and relational competence has not yet played a prominent role in PETE or its research. Purpose: Drawing on the concept of embodied professional competence developed by Winther [(2012). Det Professionspersonlige – om kroppen som klangbund i professionel kommunikation. Værløse: Billesø & Baltzer], this paper aims to provide insight into the importance of unpacking embodiment with PETE students to develop their understanding of how their body influences their leadership [embodied professional competence]. More specifically, the question guiding this article is: How can a focus on bodily experiences contribute to developing PETE students’ embodied professional competence? Our overall goal has been to create a more embodied approach to working with PETE students to develop their (embodied) understanding of their professional development and (practice of) embodied pedagogies in physical education. Methods: This is a combined teaching and research project focusing on PETE students’ professional competence. All PETE students participated in two teaching series involving them in micro-teaching and reflections upon their bodily experiences and communication while teaching. Hence, the data consists of the PETE students’ subsequent written reflections. Findings: Analysis of the material revealed that reflecting upon their bodily experiences with micro-teaching requires the PETE students to be involved in a process of developing their embodied professional competence. Through the teaching series, they were given the opportunity to explore and learn how to teach. In a safe community, the PETE students could be vulnerable and make mistakes while developing their embodied professional competence. Conclusions: We argue for the importance of integrating PETE students’ bodily experiences into the PETE programme. The study highlights that learning how to reflect upon bodily experiences and share them in a safe community provides an excellent starting point for further development of the PETE students’ professional teaching identities.

Attitudes toward Stimulant Medication for Treating ADHD among Physical Education Student Teachers

Attitudes toward Stimulant Medication for Treating ADHD among Physical Education Student Teachers

The Collective Dimension in the Activity of Physical Education Student-Teachers to Cope with Emotionally Significant Situations

The entry into the teaching profession is identified in the literature as a special, complex, and emotionally intense stage. Some teachers adopt turnover or attrition as coping tactics. The aim of this study is to understand the effect of the collective dimension on the professional development of physical education student-teachers in how they deal with emotionally significant situations. To avoid dropping out and to foster their well-being, beginners should develop their abilities by sharing their experiences. A mixed research design using a questionnaire and implementing a clinical activity procedure was adopted. Student-teachers (n = 139) had to write about 2 emotionally significant situations that they experienced during teaching, and they then shared or not with others. The second part of the study involved following up five student-teachers over the course of one year. A total of 32 filmed lessons with an emotionally significant situation served as support to self-confrontation and crossed interviews. The data were processed using the method of Bruno and Méard. The results show that student-teachers experience many emotionally significant situations, and this highlights the importance of using a collective dimension to help them cope with this emotional overload. Finally, these results open the potential value of a hybridised teacher education model of student-teachers, particularly when considering the emotional nature of the teaching profession and the necessity of sharing experiences in order to better deal with them.

Revalidation of preservice physical education teacher's teacher identity scale in Chinese physical education student teachers.

Teacher identity (TI) is a crucial aspect to pre-service physical education teachers (PPETs) to becoming high quality teachers and plays an important role in their career choice. Thus, a deep understanding of their TI may help improve the quality of future PE teachers. This study aimed to provide further evidence of reliability and validity for Preservice Physical Education Teacher's Teacher Identity Scale (PPET-TI scale). The study went through a three-stage development process: (a) examining the content validity of original scale; (b) data collection using a sample of student teachers in physical education; (c) re-test the reliability and validity of the scale developed by Zhang. After having re-examined the content validity, the domain of affects was deleted. The modified scale then consisted of the three domains (i.e., value and expectation, perceived confidence of teaching PE, and professional growth). A total of 944 physical education student teachers in China participated in the study. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed to investigate the construct validity, the results suggested the data did not fit the original model. After the unfitted item was excluded. All CFA fit indices were within the acceptable range. Reliability of the scale was then examined by calculating G-C alphas. The alpha values were within the acceptable range. The modified model was reliable and valid. The revalidation of the scale provided more us with a scale that could produce reliable and valid score measuring PPETs' TI.

Arriving in the body – students’ experiences of yoga based practices (YBP) in physical education teacher education (PETE)

ABSTRACT The interest in yoga, mindfulness or similar yoga-based practices (YBP) has grown exponentially in the western world, also within education, including physical education (PE). Although some studies have been conducted on YBP in PE, yoga has not yet been researched in the framework of physical education teacher education (PETE). Using a regional lifeworld approach, the purpose of this article is to investigate how PETE students experience their participation in a YBP didactics unit when it was included in the PETE programme. What thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations were evoked in the students as they explored YBP and their prospects for teaching it themselves? The project involved 13 students during their fifth year in one of Sweden’s PETE programmes. Questionnaires and diaries were used as information sources. Ten of the 13 students were also interviewed. In the phenomenological analysis, the phenomenon of friction ‘showed itself’ to be an essential part of the perceived experiences. Friction was characterised by a tension between an absence of friction, which describes experiences of participating in YBP smoothly, and the presence of friction, which included experiences of resistance. The students also oscillated between experiences of I-here and now, and Me-my future teaching profession. At least to some extent, the YBP that was practised during the course changed the students’ views of what education in ‘human in motion’ can be by discovering and breaking their habitual attitudes towards PE. Rather than being discussed in terms of ‘benefits’, the YBP practice charged the body, the room and the group with a heightened awareness of the present moment that could also be expressed verbally. It is anticipated that this kind of reflexive knowledge will help the student to make careful didactical considerations in their future teaching practices.

Injuries in Physical Education Teacher Students: Differences between Sex, Curriculum Year, Setting, and Sports.

Injury risk is high in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) students. Insights into specific injury locations per sex, setting, sports, and curriculum year are needed to develop preventive measures. To compare injury distributions by body locations in PETE students and how these distributions differ by sex, type, onset, curriculum year, settings, or sports. In a historical cohort study over 14 years, data from 2899 students (male 76.2%, n = 1947) enlisted in the first three years of a PETE curriculum were analysed. Injuries reported at the institution's medical facility were categorised per sex, body location, onset, type, setting, sports, and curriculum year. Forty-three percent (n = 1247) of all students (female 54.9%, n = 523, male 37.2%, and n = 429) reported a total of 2129 injuries (freshmen 56.4%; 2nd year 28.2%; 3rd year 15.5%). The most prevalent sudden onset injury locations (63.4% of all injuries) were the ankle (32.5%) and knee (16.6). The most prevalent gradual onset injuries were the lower leg (27.8%) and knee (25.2%). Joint/ligament injuries (45.8%) and muscle/tendon injuries (23.4%) were the most prevalent injury types. Proportions for injury locations and injury types differed significantly between curriculum years. Injury prevalence per setting and sport differed significantly between the sexes. Injury locations differed significantly between sports and between the sexes per sport. A differential approach per injury location, onset, type, sex, setting, sports, and curriculum year is needed to develop adequate preventive measures in PETE studies. The engagement of precurricular, intracurricular, and extracurricular stakeholders is needed in the development of these measures.

Exploring Movement Composition in the transition from physical education teacher education to school PE

ABSTRACT Background Scholars have suggested that students’ views of what is important for them to know as Physical Education (PE) teachers are a result of what is assessed in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE). Thus, there is a risk that students will reproduce content areas such as sports and assess sport-techniques without much critical consideration. In this study, however, the risk of reproducing what is prioritised in PETE is seen as an opportunity regarding the potential reproduction of other content areas than sports. Based on the regulative principles of PE and PETE that privilege sport skills and hinder creative movement learning, we focus on a content area in PETE that provides opportunities for students to engage in creative collaboration and examine how this content area is realised in school PE. Hence, we have chosen to explore ‘Movement Composition’, a content area which has a long tradition at one of the PETE universities in Sweden. Based on an overarching interest in whether and how PETE matters, this exploratory study focuses on the potential transferability of Movement Composition as a particular content area in the transition from PETE to PE. Purpose and research question The purpose of this study is to explore Movement Composition as a content area undergoing the transition from PETE to school PE. The research question is: How is the pedagogic discourse of Movement Composition constructed, recontextualised and realised in the transition from PETE to school PE? Methods Data was generated through an interview with one of the initiators of Movement Composition. Stimulated Recall interviews and Zoom interviews were also conducted with a group of five PETE students and three experienced PE teachers. In addition, documents such as the study guide, course literature, and written assignments associated with Movement Composition in the PETE programme were included in the empirical material. In the analysis, the combination of Bernstein’s pedagogic device and the Swedish didactics of PE research tradition was used to identify the pedagogic discourse of Movement Composition in the transition from PETE to school PE. Findings The findings show how the pedagogic discourse of Movement Composition as a content area is constructed, recontextualised and realised in the transition from PETE to school PE. The construction of Movement Composition as a pedagogic discourse in PETE is about how the content area (the what) is selected and organised for pedagogical purposes. The recontextualisation of Movement Composition is about how the pedagogic discourse is interpreted and translated in relation to the PE syllabus. The realisation of Movement Composition involves how the content area in PETE is implemented in PE practice. Conclusions This exploratory study has shown that what is articulated as a relevant content area and the way it is taught, learned, and assessed in PETE in many regards survives the transition to school PE. The transition from PETE to school PE does not only involve reproduction of sports and sport-techniques from one context to another. PETE also contributes to the use of creative, collaborative, and student-centred learning tasks in school PE.

Dancing as searching with Deleuze – a study of what students in physical education teacher education express and experience in creative dance lessons

ABSTRACT Physical education (PE), and specifically the teaching area of dance, has been identified as an important pedagogical setting within which young people develop creativity. Creativity is thus an important aspect of schooling. Several studies have suggested however, that dance is seldom taught in PE in ways that acknowledge creative aspects of movement learning, and that students in physical education teacher education (PETE) receive insufficient training in the area of dance. Very little research has been conducted specifically on how teachers and PETE students understand the subject tradition of creative dance. The aim of this paper is to create insights into what PETE students express and experience in creative dance lessons where we specifically explore a pedagogy based on imitation. To address this aim, empirical material was generated through observations and logbooks during a pedagogical sequence of creative dance at a Swedish PETE institution. Deleuzian concepts of palpation and experimentation were used to guide our analysis. The results of this study show alternative ways of understanding what can happen when students participate in creative dance lessons. Our findings contribute to researchers’ and teacher educators’ understandings of students’ experiences of working with spaces of creativity in PETE, and how these experiences can be used in teaching of creative dance.

Contribution of sex, sports and activity types and curriculum load distribution to intracurricular injury risk in physical education teacher education: a cohort study

ObjectivesTo investigate the influence of sports/activity types and their distribution over the curriculum years on intracurricular injury risk differences between curriculum years and sexes in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE)...

The emotional significant negative events and wellbeing of student teachers during initial teacher training: The case of physical education

Teaching is a demanding job and the aim of the present study was to explore the emotional experiences and wellbeing levels (burnout and vigor) of Physical Education (PE) student teachers in comparison with student teachers of other subjects. In all, 167 student teachers (99 in PE and 68 in other subjects) described two significant professional negative events experienced during the school placement. They also reported the frequency of occurrence of these events, the level of unpleasant emotions related to the events, and their scores of burnout and vigor. The negative emotional events were encoded following an inductive approach and five categories emerged: Student rules violations, Collaborative issues, Physical integrity risks, Organizational issues, and Lack of student motivation. The Chi-square analyses revealed a different distribution in the negative events according to the subject taught, especially including an overrepresentation of Lack of student motivation and Physical integrity risks for PE student teachers and Collaborative issues for other-subjects student teachers. Moreover, Mann-Whitney U-tests revealed a similar frequency of negative emotional events whatever the subject taught, but a lower intensity of unpleasant emotions, lower physical fatigue and higher scores of physical strength for PE student teachers in comparison with those of other subjects. The present findings confirmed that the specificities of PE lead to singular significant negative events for PE students during initial training. Finally, the health outcomes (intensity of unpleasant emotions, burnout and vigor) suggest that PE teachers have developed specific resources to cope with school constraints, probably in relation to their sport experiences.

Informal learning contexts in the construction of physical education student teachers’ professional identity

This study aimed to investigate the significance of informal learning contexts in physical education (PE) student teachers’ professional identity construction. It addressed two research questions: How do informal learning contexts contribute to the construction of PE student teachers’ professional identity? What forms of relationships can be identified between the informal and formal contexts of learning in PE student teachers’ professional identity construction? The data consisted of 20 semi-structured interviews with PE student teachers during the final teaching practice period. The data were analysed using structural and pattern coding methods. The analysis revealed that informal learning contexts contributed to three elements of professional identity construction: professional ambitions, professional values and principles, and professional knowledge and competencies. Three distinct forms of relationships between informal and formal learning contexts in the construction of professional identity were also discovered: complementary, reconstructive and disconnected. Informal learning contexts appear highly influential in the construction of professional identity. The results also point towards a holistic notion of professional identity, where professional and personal aspects of identity merge and overlap in the construction of professional identity.

Physical education student teachers' wellbeing during Covid-19: Resilience resources and challenges from school placement.

The coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic has given rise to significant global challenges across education, and specifically in the physical education teacher education (PETE) community. Students attending teacher education programmes during the Covid-19 pandemic have experienced an abrupt and unprecedented pedagogical transition from a face-to-face capacity to remote teaching, learning, and assessment environments. Crucially, student teachers’ school placement experiences faced increased challenges and practical implications from additional environmental and social changes. In the context of continued global and national challenges for initial teacher education (ITE) programmes, the present qualitative study, using a representative sample of 24 student physical education (PE) teachers from a PETE programme, investigates the perceived implications of the Covid-19 pandemic on student teachers’ practice and wellbeing during their final 2020/2021 academic year. Results indicate that student teachers maintain that exercise, connections with the university and school placement communities, alongside personal and professional organisation skills serve as resilience resources protecting their wellbeing. Conversely, student teachers express that school placement isolation, restricted PE delivery, increased workload, low teacher efficacy, and the responsibility to implement Covid-19 behaviour regulations presented as challenges that negatively affect their wellbeing. The paper concludes with practices that may further support PETE and ITE programmes and their student teachers to maintain a stable level of wellbeing throughout their careers.

Potential stressors in (prospective) physical education teachers: a comparison of different career stages

Previous studies have identified stressors in physical education (PE) teachers. However, these studies lack a comprehensive consideration of potential teaching-related stressors combined with an analysis of differences in these potential stressors between different career stages. Given that many physical education teachers suffer from stress, the purpose of the present study was to investigate potential stressors in three career stages of (prospective) physical education teachers (student teachers, pre-service teachers, teachers) in order to further develop their education in terms of stress management. The results of a survey of 723 German (prospective) physical education teachers (255 student teachers, 117 pre-service teachers, 351 teachers) showed that, overall, noise, heterogeneity of students, and inadequate curriculum were reported to be the most frequent potential stressors. When controlling for teaching hours per week, teachers, and pre-service teachers did not differ in the frequency of potential stressors. However, both teachers and pre-service teachers reported significantly less lack of facilities/equipment, pupils’ discipline problems, and lack of pupils’ motivation than student teachers, and significantly more noise than PE student teachers. Additionally, teachers reported more heterogeneity of pupils than student teachers. These findings can be explained by characteristics of the specific career stages. For practical application, it can be concluded that there is a need for coping interventions that are tailored to the stressors which are salient in a specific career phase. In future research, studies should investigate stressors in different career stages longitudinally.