Letters from Early Career Academics: the Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy field of play

Abstract

Taking our lead from Rainer Maria Rilke's (1929) 'Letters to a Young Poet', our broader project aimed to create a space for dialogue and intergenerational learning between Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy (PESP) Early Career Academics (ECAs) and members of the PESP professoriate. This paper focuses specifically on the experiences of PESP ECAs. We draw upon narratives of thirty ECAs from nine different countries to gain insight into the experiences, joys, challenges and ambitions they associate with being and becoming a PESP academic. A narrative analysis of the data generated by the ECAs was undertaken. The analysis aimed to be holistic in nature, interested in form and content: both the told (the content) and the telling (how it was told). We initially focused our analysis using the six dimensions of narrative (characters, setting, events, audience, causal relations and themes). Bourdieu's socio-analytical toolkit complemented our narrative analysis and helped us move beyond the personal narratives by linking them to the broader social practices, relations and structures of the various settings or fields (PESP, university, family) within which the participants function. The findings suggest that many ECAs are experiencing crises of habitus, as they work to suppress ethical dispositions and values and adjust to 'the rules' that universities increasingly play by. Our discussion engages with the affective costs of playing by these rules, and recruits Bourdieu's notion of 'reflexive vigilance' to advocate for ongoing critical analysis of how power operates in the various field which academics inhabit.

Thriving in the neoliberal academia without becoming its agent? Sociologising resilience with an early career academic and a mid-career researcher

“…Indeed, the productivity of ECAs is under constant evaluation, drawing them into a "winner takes all" race for status (Jackson, 2021, p. 2). While universities impose high expectations on ECAs, especially in terms of high quality publications (Wöhrer, 2014), limited resources and consultations are provided (Alfrey et al, 2017). Herein lies the neoliberal logic of individual responsibilisation that coerces ECAs to prove their performance as soon as possible instead of allowing for adequate time to find their feet and build their capacity.…”

Pandangan filsafat terhadap ilmu pedagogi olahraga

“…Pendidikan jasmani adalah penyampaian pendidikan melalui tubuh yang dapat dilihat sebagai pelengkap pelatihan intelektual dalam sistem pendidikan secara keseluruhan (Haag, 1989). Pendidikan jasmani sangat erat kaitannya dengan pedagogi olahraga, kemampuan guru dalam mengelola pembelajaran dikelas sangat berpengaruh terhadap hasil peserta didik selama mengikuti proses pembelajaran (Alfrey, Enright, & Rynne, 2017).…”

An exploration of the influence of professional relationships on the career pathways of physical education teacher educators

“…Research by Richards et al (2017) suggests that the importance of supportive relationships is also significant for today's early-career teacher educators. In the context of the changing higher education landscape, with increasing expectation and pressure on early-career academics (Alfrey et al, 2017), the truism holds that history may not repeat but it rhymes. We suggest that professional relationships have always been, and will always be, influential in the professional development and learning of teacher educators.…”