Investigating preservice classroom teachers’ practices and views about teaching physical education lessons: An exploratory case study

Abstract

Focusing on preservice classroom teachers (PCTs) with a physical education (PE) specialization, this exploratory case study aimed at investigating the teaching quality in the lessons offered by these teachers during their field placement, as well as examining their views about teaching PE. Toward this end, seven volunteer female PCTs studying at a national university in Cyprus were recruited; all had attended three PE specialization courses before their field placement. Data were gathered through systematic observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis. The quantitative data were analysed using SPSS and the qualitative data using case and cross-case analysis. These analyses suggested that the PCTs could effectively employ classroom and time management as well as skill demonstration; they could also provide quality student practice. In contrast, task progression, accountability of student practice, and task explicitness appeared to be more challenging for them to successfully enact. Interestingly, their lesson plans foreshadowed how effectively most of the examined practices would be employed by the PCTs. This study contributes a new understanding of PCTs’ PE teaching during field placement and their views thereof. The implications of the findings for PCTs’ education are discussed.

Preservice classroom teachers’ views and experiences of teaching physical education: Does taking a physical education specialization matter?

“…First, this study focused on PCTs’ views and experiences about teaching PE instead of their actual teaching. Although a previous study (Tsangaridou et al, 2022) showed the views of the PCTs in the specialization group to be largely aligned with their teaching, caution needs to be taken in considering these results as reflecting actual differences in PCTs’ practice. Second, we recognize that these differences might not be solely due to the specialization route that one of the groups had taken.…”

“…The current research is part of a larger project focusing on the experiences of PCTs learning to teach PE. A previous study explored the teaching quality of the lessons taught by PCTs with a PE specialization (Tsangaridou et al, 2022). By employing a more comparative perspective, this study focuses on the views of two groups of PCTs—one with a PE specialization and one without—to gain insights into their views and experiences during student teaching.…”

An analysis of content development in physical education: Preschool teachers’ selection of instructional tasks

“…Ayvazo and Ward (2011) studied the content development of two experienced elementary PE teachers based on task adaptations. In another study, Tsangaridou et al (2022a) described the content development of elementary classroom teachers and found that more effective teachers progressively engaged children in informing, refining, extending, and applying tasks. In the same pattern, Gusthart (1985) focused on describing in-service secondary PE teachers’ content development while teaching PE classes.…”

“…Yet, most research has been conducted at the elementary and secondary levels, leaving the preschool level largely overlooked. In addition, participants were PE teachers, with the exception of one study in which they were generalist classroom teachers (Tsangaridou et al, 2022a). This suggests that there is still much to know about the content development of preschool teachers in PE.…”