Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan, GIH

The purpose of this study is to contribute knowledge regarding how physical education teacher education (PETE) matters, what matters in PETE, and for what PETE matters. We explore, illustrate and discuss campus-based and school-based teacher education, the transitions between these different parts of teacher education as well as transitions from teacher education to the first years working as a PE teacher in school.

In the study, we draw on results and re-analysis of generated data from several research projects on PETE in Sweden, which explore either campus-based education, school placement and/or the transition from education to the profession. The study includes nine PhD projects and two longitudinal research projects funded by the Swedish Research Council. As part of our re-analysis, a two-day workshop was conducted where the researchers from the projects met to collaborate, drawing on their respective generated data. The results following the workshop were further analyzed in-depth by the three project leaders (Engdahl, Quennerstedt and Larsson). 

Preliminary results show that teacher education seems to have a substantial impact on teachers' future teaching practice in different respects. Four preliminary themes have been particularly significant so far in the analysis: (a) content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge in cooperation, (b) the importance of content knowledge in movement, (c) campus teaching combined with school field experiences and field studies with a focus on the integration of theory and practice, and (d) explorative ways of working with a focus on becoming a reflective practitioner with emphasis on teachers’ professional identity.

This presentation will provide PETE educators and PE scholars with insights into the profound impact of transitions, or boundary passages (Lawson, 1983), of how PETE can matter for the life-long process of becoming a teacher.

Reference:

Lawson, H. A. (1983). 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, 3–15.