An Examination of the Professional Journeys of Physical Education Teacher Educators

Author(s):

Eileen McEvoy(presenting / submitting)Pilvikki Heikinaro-Johansson Ann MacPhail

Conference:

ECER 2016

Network:

10. Teacher Education Research

Format:

Paper

Session Information

10 SES 07 D, Literacy, Citizenship and Physical Education

Paper Session

Time:

2016-08-24

17:15-18:45

Room:

NM-Theatre P

Chair:

Ratha Perumal

Contribution

In response to documented concerns about the professionalism of teacher educators across Europe (Snoek, Swennen, & van der Klink, 2011), a recent European Commission publication recognised the importance of the teacher education profession and, in a dedicated chapter, stressed a need for a stronger knowledge base to assist governments in providing support to the work of teacher educators (European Commission, 2013). In fact, scholarly work on the teacher education profession has been forthcoming since the 1990s but it is only recently that this work has been overviewed in a systematic way (Lunenberg, Dengerink, & Korthagen, 2014). Within the sub-field of physical education teacher education, McEvoy, MacPhail and Heikinaro-Johansson (2015) scoped previous decades of literature on physical education teacher educators (PETEs). This review pointed to a relative absence of recent literature on the professional journeys of PETEs, as well as a near total absence of related cross-border scholarship. Lawson (1991), setting out an agenda for research on PETEs, articulated the potential of such research to improve faculty recruitment, retention, productivity and job satisfaction through the creation of knowledge pertinent to career-guidance and career-development mechanisms.

The data to be shared in this presentation is extracted from an international study seeking to add to our understanding of how the professional journeys of PETEs are shaped and of how their relationships with research evolve throughout their careers. This presentation aims to focus on the first aspect of this study, exploring 1) the facilitators to participants’ entry to and development within the profession, 2) the turning points and landmarks that shaped participants’ professional journeys, and 3) the factors influencing the various career decisions they made. Social cognitive career theory (SCCT) is employed as a useful theoretical lens in the consideration of findings (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 2002). SCCT is rooted in Bandura’s (1986) general social cognitive theory and focuses on how factors such as self-efficacy, outcome expectations, goals, personality traits and environmental factors interact to shape the course of career development.

Method

Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 14 PETEs (seven female, seven male). The selected participants had an average of 20 years of experience as physical education teacher educators, ranging from 6 to 38 years, and were based in seven countries (Belgium, Finland, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland and the USA). Participants were selected from among attendees at an international research seminar on physical education teacher education, using a combination of convenience and purposive sampling (Teddlie & Yu, 2007; Patton, 2002). There were three selection criteria: (1) contributing to the education of post-primary physical education teachers, (2) holding a senior position in a given faculty (at least senior lecturer or equivalent), and (3) having at least five years of experience as a physical education teacher educator at third level, with at least 10 years of professional experience in the field of physical education. The selection criteria were framed by a desire to have participants with extensive experience in senior positions in order to investigate their career paths and professional experiences over time. Initial and follow-up semi-structured interviews were conducted lasting an average of 68 minutes and 101 minutes, respectively. Initial interviews were exploratory, focusing on participants’ professional journeys, contexts and perspectives on physical education and physical education teacher education. Follow-up interviews built on what was shared in the initial interviews, allowing for a deeper exploration of the influences shaping the professional journeys of participants and the place of research within their professional worlds. Prior to the follow-up interviews, participants were asked to forward their CVs which were used to confirm data shared during initial interviews and inform follow-up questions. An inductive thematic analysis of the data, involving open, axial and selective coding, is currently underway (Strauss & Corbin, 1998).

Expected Outcomes

Preliminary analysis indicates that the participants’ entry to and development within the profession was facilitated by factors such as pre-existing relationships with key PETE faculty, professional experiences prior to entering teacher education, support provided by mentors and colleagues, engagement with research, and personal characteristics such as a passion for learning, a strong work ethic, ambition, dedication to the profession and a degree of political astuteness. Unsupportive contexts or colleagues were also influential on occasion. Key landmarks in the careers of participants included post graduate studies, being invited by existing faculty to pursue a career in teacher education, meeting key mentors or colleagues, securing first employment as a PETE, moving between institutions, taking on specific roles of responsibility and achieving a particular professional status. Participants varied in the degree to which they foresaw or aimed towards a career in physical education teacher education and few had a clear career path in their mind through which they progressed. The motivations behind the career decisions of participants included wishing to improve the educational experience of young people, a desire to learn and be challenged, job security, encouragement from mentors or colleagues, a wish to progress through stages of promotion and a perception that there are different career stages during which you should focus on different priorities. As Murray and Harrison (2008) point out, high quality teacher education is largely dependent on the qualifications, knowledge and skills of teacher educators. It is hoped that the findings from this study may inform our understanding of how and why PETEs acquire such qualifications, skills and knowledge and the contexts within which the routes of their professional pathways are mapped out.

References

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. European Commission. (2013). Supporting teacher educators for better learning outcomes. Strasbourg: Author. Lawson, H. (1991). Future research on physical education teacher education professors, Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 10, 229-248. Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (2002). Social cognitive career theory. In D. Brown and Associates (Eds.), Career choice and development (4th ed.) (pp. 255-331). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Lunenberg, M., Dengerink, J., & Korthagen, F. (2014). The Professional Teacher Educator. Roles, Behaviour, and Professional Development of Teacher Educators. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. McEvoy, E., MacPhail, A., & Hekinaro-Johansson, P. (2015). Physical education teacher educators: A 25-year scoping review of literature, Teaching and Teacher Education, 51, 162-181. Murray, J., & Harrison, J. (2008). Editorial. European Journal of Teacher Education, 31(2), 109-115. Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). London: SAGE. Snoek, M., Swennen, A., & van der Klink, M. (2011). The quality of teacher educators in the European policy debate: actions and measures to improve the professionalism of teacher educators, Professional Development in Education, 37(5), 651-664. Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Teddlie, C., & Yu, F. (2007). Mixed methods sampling: A typology with examples. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1(1), 77–100.

Author Information

Eileen McEvoy (presenting / submitting)

University of Jyväskylä

Department of Sport Sciences

Jyväskylä

Pilvikki Heikinaro-Johansson

University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Ann MacPhail

University of Limerick, Ireland

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