Exploring Athletic Training Educators' Development as Teachers

Abstract

Context: Little research is available on how athletic training educators develop their instructional styles over the course of their careers and what influences their teaching practices. Understanding the development of athletic training educators' teaching practices may help promote effective teaching in athletic training programs and help guide professional development. Objective: To gain a better understanding of how athletic trainers develop as educators and how their experiences as an educator influence their teaching. Design: Qualitative study. Setting: Higher education institutions. Patients or Other Participants: We interviewed 11 doctorally trained athletic trainers teaching in undergraduate professional athletic training programs. Main Outcome Measure(s): Data were collected through in-depth interviews, and additional artifacts (curricula vitae, syllabi, videotaped teaching lessons) were used to triangulate data collected during the interviews. We used a phenomenological approach to analyze the data and maintained trustworthiness through member checking, data-source triangulation, multiple-analyst triangulation, and peer review. Results: Two main themes emerged from the data: (1) role induction through role continuance and (2) teaching for student learning. Participants discussed how their teaching evolved over the course of their careers, how they valued their clinical practice, how they promoted student learning, and how they aimed to challenge students to transfer knowledge learned into clinical practice. Conclusions: From the data, we are able to understand that athletic training educators develop their teaching practices through engaging in their role as a teacher. This was an informal, continual process of learning how to be an educator.

From athletic excellence to academic influence: a study of retired Chinese athletes transitioning into the higher education sector

“…Regarding lack of teaching experience, both the literature and Phase 1 identified a critical gap in formal teaching experience and pedagogical skills among retired athletes. This aligns with Payne et al (2017) and Till et al (2022) , who mentioned that retired athletes may face challenges in developing the necessary pedagogical skills to excel academically. Meanwhile, Phase 1’s findings reveal retired athletes’ struggles with developing essential educational skills, a feeling echoed by experts in Phase 2, who recognize the pressing need for development in teaching methodologies and classroom management skills.…”

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“…Regarding lack of teaching experience, both the literature and Phase 1 identified a critical gap in formal teaching experience and pedagogical skills among retired athletes. This aligns with Payne et al (2017) and Till et al (2022), who mentioned that retired athletes may face challenges in developing the necessary pedagogical skills to excel academically. Meanwhile, Phase 1's findings reveal retired athletes' struggles with developing essential educational skills, a feeling echoed by experts in Phase 2, who recognize the pressing need for development in teaching methodologies and classroom management skills.…”

“…This consensus underscores the importance of implementing targeted professional development initiatives that equip retired athletes with the requisite pedagogical competencies for academic success. Payne et al (2017) stressed that professional development programs tailored to address these specific needs can help retired athletes acquire essential teaching skills and enhance their effectiveness in the classroom.…”

A Tiered Approach for Integrating Patient Outcome Measures into the Curriculum

“…43 This again highlights the fact that it is both knowledge of pedagogy and content that correlates to an educator's pedagogical content knowledge and is directly related to accomplishing student learning outcomes. 7,8,11 As athletic training educators contemplate teaching and evaluating the CAATE 2020 Standards, 33 it is understood that some content may be unfamiliar. Therefore, it is a collective responsibility of educators, preceptors, and administrators 10 involved in athletic training programs to devote time to structured learning 11,12 opportunities involving new content, collaborations between didactic and clinical entities involving patient encounters with the content, 39 and utilization of reflections 14 from students and peers on effective instructional methods.…”

“…5 It is unclear if these documented barriers affect athletic training educators in their dissemination of course content to students, as educators rely on their clinical competence and experiences in patient care. 7 Effective teaching relies on the educator possessing both pedagogical and content knowledge, referred to as ''pedagogical content knowledge,'' 8 in order for students to learn and promote the transfer of cognitive and psychomotor skills. A teacher's knowledge is reflected in how she plans, selects, and sequences the subject matter.…”