Two physical educators’ sense of purpose as an indicator of teaching sustainability over time in a high-poverty school setting

Abstract

Physical education teachers with a strong sense of purpose are more resilient and maintain high-level performance over time. Therefore, this longitudinal, mixed-methods exploratory case study describes how two teachers’ (Gary and Wayne) sense of purpose in life and well-being has influenced their intent to remain teaching in high-poverty schools. This inquiry followed the two participants over four consecutive school years (2015–2019) and included eight formal interviews with Gary and Wayne, two administrations of the Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale questionnaire, and one administration of the Teaching Sustainability Questionnaire over the four-year project. Gary’s and Wayne’s strong purpose in life contained central values that led to their intention to remain teaching in their high-poverty school context. This strong sense of purpose stemmed from their perceived internalized and externalized support associated with life experiences, familial influence, and the school environments where they worked. Gary’s and Wayne’s sense of purpose appeared to have a direct effect on their intention to remain teaching in the high-poverty schools where they were employed. Identifying a teacher’s sense of purpose and the extent to which it aligns with a specific school district’s mission/vision may be an important factor in recruiting and retaining teachers in high-poverty environments.

The Application of Inquiry Teaching Method in Physical Education

“…In addition to teaching students the essentials of action, students learn from each other. Teachers can encourage students to learn in a mutual-aid way, students can ask each other for advice, correct each other's mistakes, learn together and make progress together to form a harmonious classroom atmosphere [11].…”

The impact of moral leadership on physical education teachers’ innovation behavior: The role of identification with leader and psychological safety

“…Previous research on participants of PE innovation focused on the roles of government and market investor ( Kanario, 2017 ), while research on PE talents was ignored. Part of the research on the antecedents that affect PE field’ innovation behavior focuses on preservice education content ( Rottmann and Ratto, 2018 ), individuals’ sense of mission and responsibility ( Ellison, 2022 ), and negative psychology, including burnout and occupational stress ( Benevene et al, 2020 ). At the same time, many scholars also put forward that individual motivation promotes their innovation behavior ( Nikiforos et al, 2020 ).…”