The effects of individual dispositions and workplace factors on the lives and careers of physical education teachers: twelve years on from graduation

It has been noted that individual characteristics and workplace factors have rarely been combined to gain a more holistic understanding of teachers’ career trajectories (Rinke, 2008. Understanding teachers’ careers: Linking professional life to professional path. Educational Research Review, 3(1), 1–13.; Schaefer, Long, & Clandinin, 2012. Questioning the research on early career teacher attrition and retention. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 58(1), 106–121). This paper considers the mutual relationship between individual and contextual factors of five physical education teacher education graduates to gain a greater understanding of teachers’ career trajectories. Data was collected through interviews and living graphs. Results of the study suggest that both individual dispositions and contextual factors influence the career trajectories of physical education teachers in Ireland to varying degrees and with varying consequences. While the career trajectories of qualified physical education teachers in Ireland are individual and complex, there appears to be a consistency across the teachers that, as they spend a longer time teaching in schools, they withdraw from their initial strong and proud identity as a physical education teacher in favour of identifying with teaching their elective subject. There are a number of ways in which this worrying trend can be addressed; (i) focus on physical education teacher education programmes and ensure that pre-service teachers have an opportunity to explore and share their individual dispositions, (ii) understand what school contextual factors are likely to/will support and foster their dispositions, and (iii) appreciate how these dispositions might impact their ability to negotiate the realities of teaching physical education in Irish post-primary schools.     

Value Orientations of Preservice Teachers

Abstract

Curriculum theorists have acknowledged, the critical role that beliefs and values play in the decisions that teachers make, but very little is known about how teachers' value profiles develop. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the educational value orientations of a group of physical education preservice teachers (N = 16) enrolled in an elementary methods course and to investigate the link between value profiles and teacher behaviors. Value profiles were assessed using the Value Orientation Inventory (Ennis & Hooper, 1988). The results indicated that teachers in training entered field-based experiences with defined value profiles, but that these profiles were not stable constructs. Priorities within competing value orientations fluctuated over the course of a semester. Possible explanations for the changes that occurred and implications for teacher education programs are discussed.     

辽宁省中小学体育师资培养和培训体制变革与发展轨迹研究

依据教师教育发展的理论,运用文献资料、专家访谈等方法,对辽宁师范教育职前培养与职后培训体制变革的历史沿革进行梳理,对其发展的轨迹进行分析研究,旨在为辽宁省体育师资培养和培训体制改革提供理论借鉴。研究认为,辽宁省体育教师培养培训经历了恢复—发展—破坏—转折—快速发展的不同时期,走过了从微观到宏观、从职前"腿粗"到职后"加粗"、从相分离到相互合作,从三级管理向一级管理调整的变迁过程,师范教育得到了积极稳步的调整,为辽宁省基础教育体育教师队伍建设提供了体制上的保证。     

One Teacher’s Experience of Teaching Physical Education and Another School Subject: An Inter-Role Conflict?

Purpose: This study was situated within a longitudinal study of 5 teachers examining the realities of teaching physical education by determining the impact of individual dispositions and contextual factors on the career trajectories of postprimary physical education teachers in Ireland (Iannucci & MacPhail, 2017). One of these participants, Jane, was examined in this study to gain a greater understanding of the realities and tensions experienced by a postprimary teacher enacting 2 distinct sets of role expectations when teaching physical education and another school subject concurrently. Method: Data reported in this article were collected through a semistructured interview and living graph. An interpretative framework was used for analysis, assessing Jane’s perceived meanings of the identified critical incidents in relation to role theory. Results: Teachers timetabled with physical education and another subject concurrently may be expected to navigate and negotiate 2 distinctly different roles within the school community causing difficulty in assuming both roles simultaneously. Short narratives were used to convey 2 themes: (a) role prioritization and (b) role performance. Conclusion: The study results suggest that the already complex and multifaceted role of a school teacher (Richards, Templin, Levesque-Bristol, & Blankenship, 2014) seems to be further complicated when teachers are tasked with simultaneously teaching physical education and another school subject. With the presence of a role conflict management strategy such as role prioritization (Stryker, 1968), one can presume that teachers who are tasked with teaching physical education and another school subject may experience some level of role conflict.     

Promoting schoolchildren’s self-esteem in physical education: testing the effectiveness of a five-month teacher training

ABSTRACT

Background: Schoolchildren’s personality development is considered a central goal of physical education (PE). With regard to the relationship between psychological well-being and global self-esteem over the life course, the promotion of positive self-esteem is an issue of particular significance. Past research revealed that PE taught with an individualized teacher frame of reference (iTFR) and a reflexive teaching style is associated with positive effects on facets of children’s perceived sports competence. However, it remains an open question whether this teaching styles has the potential to promote positive self-esteem.

Purpose: The present study investigated whether a five-month teacher training, aimed to enhance the teachers’ iTFR and their reflexive teaching style in PE, has a positive effect on students’ perceived sports competence and their global self-esteem. To analyse the implementation quality, changes in students’ perceived iTFR and perceived reflexive teaching style were investigated.

Method: A total of 21 teachers were assigned to either an intervention group (n?=?13), receiving the five-month teacher training, or a control group (n?=?8) consisting of regular teaching without teacher training. The teacher training encompassed five three-hour consecutive sessions during which the teachers acquired theoretical and practical knowledge about the promotion of competence perceptions in PE with a reflexive teaching style and an iTFR. Between the sessions, the teachers were instructed to implement an iTFR and a reflexive teaching style into their own PE classes. To evaluate the effects of the teacher training, their students’ (N?=?315, 53.7% girls, M_age?=?13.2 y, SD_age?=?1.3 y) perceived teaching style (iTFR and reflexive teaching), perceived sports competence and global self-esteem were measured with paper-pencil questionnaires at three measurement points (pre, post and follow-up).

Findings: Linear mixed effect models showed that students of the intervention group reported an increase in their teachers’ reflexive teaching style, but there were no changes with regard to iTFR. With regard to students’ perceived sports competence and global self-esteem, there were significant interaction effects between time and group over a period of eight months (from pre-test to follow-up), indicating positive effects on these self-concept dimensions due to the teacher training.

Conclusion: The present study indicates that a long-term teacher training supports PE teachers to implement teaching styles with the aim to promote students’ self-concept. Furthermore, the findings lead to the assumption that a more pronounced iTFR in combination with an enhanced reflexive teaching style has the potential to positively influence schoolchildren’s perceived sports competence and global self-esteem.     

Teachers' perceptions of in-service teacher training to support curriculum change in physical education: The Hong Kong experience

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an in-service training program and understand teachers' receptivity to curriculum change in physical education. A total of 183 primary school teachers were recruited as participants on a voluntary basis. They were asked to respond to a questionnaire about their receptivity to changes in the current physical education curriculum as well as their views on the effectiveness of a teacher development program that was organized by the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The results showed that the participants felt that in-service training was needed to equip them to implement a physical education program in line with the curriculum reform. The in-service training program was deemed to be practical and effective, bringing about good communication among school teachers, educational experts, and government curriculum officers. In terms of their receptivity to curriculum change, the participants generally had positive attitudes to the innovation and showed further support for the change after attending the program. The role of the principal and the need for school support for the reform are discussed in the concluding section.     

高校体育教师专业化培养体系的探索研究

教师发展已成为教师教育改革的重点方向,反映了当代教育的重要规律。用专业化的视角来审视我国体育教师教育改革,本身是一个对体育教师教育历史的扬弃和对先进的同类经验借鉴的过程。教师专业化发展是我国教师教育改革的一个重要取向,因此,建立合理的体育教师专业化培养体系是对于高等院校的教学改革将起到重要的作用。本文就普通高校体育教师专业化培养体系构建进行研究,提出教师专业化的培养体系应该包括预期职业社会化、继续职业社会化两个阶段;职前培养、入职培养和在职培养三个时期,同时,对高校体育教师的专业化成长过程提出了反思。     

Entering the Field of Physical Education: The Journey of Fifteen First-Year Teachers

Purpose: Given the significant challenges facing today’s physical educators, the purpose of this study was to examine the expectations of induction teachers and identify the factors in both their personal and organizational environments enhanced or constrained their assimilation into the field during their 1st year. Method: Using occupational socialization theory as a guide, data from demographic surveys and a series of formal interviews with participants at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year were inductively analyzed for theme development. Results: Results revealed positive acculturation experiences and unity regarding the purpose of physical education as preparing students to be fit for a lifetime. Barriers were noted to be family and personal crises, role conflict, isolation, marginalization, issues with classroom management and discipline, and difficulties in developing positive relationships with stakeholders. Enhancers were identified as positive interactions and rapport with students, colleagues, and administrators and favorable individual dispositions. Conclusion: Implications indicate a need for purposeful physical education teacher education training to proactively address these barriers during professional preparation as well as the creation of additional support systems for beginning teachers.     

浅谈体育教师在体育教学中的主导性

体育教师是促进学生全面发展的有力保证。而体育教师的教学主导性则最为重要,在教与学的关系中,判断一名体育老师教学水平的重要标准就是体育教师是否在教学过程中准确而充分地发挥了教师主导性,教师的主导性表现在教师在教学过程中的主要责任和主要地位,主导性包括对学生的领导、诱导和指导等。文章通过对体育教师主导性内容的介绍、"教师主导性"与"教师主宰性"的区别等方面,探讨体育教师在体育教学中的主导作用。     

重庆市农村中学体育教学现状调查及对策分析

对重庆地区的293所农村中学的学校体育现状进行了问卷调查。结果显示:该地区中学的体育教师学历偏低、体育经费严重不足、教学常规不健全、组织松散、管理不严、体育理论安排欠缺、内容选择不全面、课外活动开展不普及、项目单一。建议加大宣传力度,转变观念,重视学校体育工作,建立健全教学常规,加大经费投入,改善教学条件,加强体育教师的培训和引进工作,提高其学历和理论水平。     

MOOCs背景下中小学体育教师专业核心素养培养模式研究

文章以中小学体育教师专业核心素养为调查对象,从教师的基本信息、教师所在学校受培训的情况、教师对MOOC学习的态度进行调查。调查分析得出,传统培养模式存在学校开设项目有限,限制教师专业核心素养的发展、培训内容无法满足教师专业核心素养的发展、教师难以获得高等培训的机会、培训内容不能满足教师的需求等问题。建议以MOOC平台作为一个突击点,打造中小学体育学科核心素养建设平台、树立以学习者为本的教学理念、设置科学的MOOC培训课程、注重课程中理论与实践并重等,为提升中小学体育教师专业核心素养提供参考。     

我国普通高校体育师资队伍结构现状与发展对策

采用文献资料调研、问卷调查和数理统计法，从整体性、综合性角度，对我国部分普通高校体育教师的年龄结构、职称结构、学历层次结构进行了调查和分析。结果表明，目前我国普通高校体育师资队伍的年龄结构趋向年轻化，高职称教师的年龄有所下降，但还存在一些亟待解决的问题，如高校体育教师队伍学历偏低，45岁以下的中青年教师中高职比例偏低，体育教师的收入偏低等，针对存在的问题提出了完善体育师资队伍建设的对策与建议。     

The Social,Political and Economic Contexts to the Evolution of Spanish Physical Educationalists (1874–1992)

This article studies the history of physical education teacher training centres in Spain from the end of the nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth century. It focuses on analysing the studies offered at these centres, which reflect how the training received by the teachers responsible for running physical education lessons in schools has evolved. The content of the different syllabuses has been influenced by the social, political and economic context of each historical era, and the courses have gradually raised their requirements, becoming equivalent to higher university studies.     

江苏高职院校体育教师培训现状调查研究

体育培训工作是伴随着体育教师一生的教学生涯,通过对江苏高职院校体育教师培训现状调查发现,接受培训次数上有显著的差异,培训的内容和培训的方式存在一定的问题,从而影响了培训的效果,不能满足体育教师培训的需求,因此要求有关体育部门采取合理的措施,使更多的体育教师有机会参加体育培训,不断提高培训效果,使培训更好的为体育教学、体育科研服务。     

Understanding Teacher Change: A National Survey of U.S. Physical Educators

Physical education is critical to addressing childhood obesity, yet many school-based programs do not meet established quality standards and teachers are called upon to change. Little is known about how change is initiated and its associated internal and external factors. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate physical education teacher change that was self-initiated and externally initiated and to examine dispositions toward the change process relative to initiation. Method: A random national sample of physical educators representing each SHAPE America – Society of Health and Physical Educators regional district participated in a survey measuring past programming changes, primary initiators of change, and teachers’ dispositions toward change. In total, 2,423 teachers (46% response rate) completed electronic, paper, or telephone questionnaires. Results: Teachers most often made minor curriculum changes, and they added/subtracted student assessments (primarily informal assessments) least often. Self-initiated (bottom-up) change was most frequently (83.1% of the time) reported. Externally initiated (top-down) changes were less frequent and were most often associated with professional development. Teachers reported principals’ involvement in both top-down and bottom-up change processes was minimal. Teachers who were more disposed to making future changes reported making significantly (p < .01, η² = .046–.119) more past changes than those who were less disposed to change. Conclusions: Physical education teachers primarily self-initiated minor programming changes without involvement from administration. Externally initiated change was infrequent and mostly involved professional development. Dispositions toward change were individual and enduring such that teachers who had made more past changes were more likely to also make future changes.     

Socialization of Prospective Physical Education Teachers: The Story of New Blood

There has been much criticism of how teachers are prepared to teach and physical education has not been immune from this criticism. Despite numerous efforts to improve the content and focus of teacher education programmes there is still a paucity of programme evaluation research on the efficacy of these teacher education programmes (Metzler & Tjeerdsma, 1998). This paper reports on part of a yearlong investigation on the efficacy of a graduate physical education teacher education programme to prepare teachers. The focus of this aspect of the study was to identify what attracted graduate students to pursue a teaching career and what beliefs they held about physical education teachers and teaching. This was a qualitative case study and multiple data sources were gathered to address the research questions. The data sources included interviews, analyses of the students' autobiographical statements, and observations of their teaching, critical incidents from their teaching and peer responses to critical incidents. Findings indicate that this cohort of graduate students, many embarking on a major career change, was more committed to teaching and their love for teaching children than coaching. While their own success and love of sport was a factor in their career choice, their experiences in helping young people engage in and enjoy physical activity was more significant than their desire to gain a teaching credential. They believed their role as a physical education teacher was to be a physically active role model and help students appreciate the importance of physical activity, to contribute to the development of student self-esteem, especially those sometimes marginalized in physical education classes, and to plan and teach lessons that would motivate all students to participate in class. This work is grounded in the occupational socialization literature and the findings are discussed in terms of what we know about how to maximize the impact of teacher education programmes especially when students' beliefs may not be aligned with those of the programme.     

Following the Footsteps of Specialist Physical Education Teachers in Singapore’s Primary Schools

This study explored the footsteps of specialist physical education teachers in Singapore’s primary schools. In particular, this paper uncovered the physical education teacher training in Singapore during post-colonial days, ground situations leading to the rise of the specialist physical education teachers and government policies influencing the increase of them in primary schools. Document analysis was employed to trace the development of teachers teaching physical education in Singapore’s primary schools since the 1950s. The focus was on how this development influences the position of specialist physical education teachers in primary schools. The key role of the primary school physical education teacher has changed from a teacher whose focus was on physical fitness to a teacher who looks to develop pupils holistically through pupil-centric sports and outdoor activities. A generalist teacher that did not specialize in physical education is no longer suitable to teach physical education. Government policies and initiatives such as the robust recruitment of physical education teachers and the continuation of the Diploma in Physical Education programme have had a direct impact on the increasing number of primary school specialist physical education teachers. However, this increase is still insufficient. A concerted effort must be made by the school management to prioritize the quality of physical education lessons and sports programmes.     

体育教育专业办学的新思路——基于社会需求幼儿体育教师情况的调查

运用问卷调查、专家访谈、文献资料等方法,对辽宁省幼儿体育教师岗位需求情况进行调查,旨在探讨我国设置幼儿体育教师岗位的必要性与可行性,为幼儿体育教师队伍建设提供可参考依据。调查主要结论:(1)随着国家对学前教育投入不断加大,幼儿体育教师成为社会需求新的增长点;(2)幼儿体育教育"早期化"、"专职化"现象将引发幼儿体育教师培养方式的改革;(3)师范院校体育教育专业将联手学前教育搭建幼儿体育教师的培养平台。     

西部地区体育骨干教师有效性培训的实践探索

提高体育骨干教师培训的实效性,是全面提升体育教师队伍素质的迫切需要,是实现体育教师专业化发展、培训可持续发展的基础。在西部中小学体育骨干教师国家级培训项目实践的基础上,本文从培训需求的有效调查与分析、培训目标的绩效定位与实现、培训课程的合理设计与体现、培训质量的科学管理与监控探索西部地区体育骨干教师有效性培训,并通过培训成效的反馈来验证培训的实效和影响的延伸。