General description

“Yeah, the body matters, especially a good-looking body.”

—Steven, age 29, physical education student teacher

The above extract from the research data summarizes some of the history and meaning of the body in physical education (PE). The body is an important part of PE teacher professional identity because it is always present during teaching. The normative PE teacher body has been thin, muscular and strong; the dominant attitude towards the body in PE and PETE (PE teacher education) has been instrumental, separating the mind from the body (Tinning 2010). Several studies have been performed on PE and the body, but there is a lack of research about the body’s role in PE teacher professional identity. In this study, we aim to understand PE teachers’ conceptions of the body and their relation to professional identity.

The professional identities of PE student teachers as well as educators of PE teachers have traditionally centred on sports knowledge and skills rather than broader educational issues (Dowling 2006, 2011). Physical performance and mastery of specific sports are valued over critical thinking and reflective approaches (Capel 2007; Larsson 2009). PE teachers and their educators have a tendency to reproduce and reinforce the current professional culture, identities and attitudes towards their work (Brown & Evans 2004). Body and embodiment have been studied with respect to teacher education (Fisette 2015), PE teachers (Webb, Quennerstedt & Öhman 2008) and PE student teachers (Wrench & Garrett 2015).

In theoretical terms, professional identity refers to an individual’s conception of him or herself as a professional subject based on professional and personal history (Eteläpelto, Vähäsantanen, Hökkä & Paloniemi 2014). Professional identity defines the relationship between a person and his or her profession. For teachers, professional identity includes for example professional knowledge, beliefs, values, attitudes, emotions, interests and future aspirations (e.g. Beijaard, Meijer & Verloop 2004). In this study, body is understood as both a sociological and biological phenomenon; it is constructed through various cultural practices on the basis of biological necessity (Shilling 2012).

The applicability of the traditional performance-oriented PE teacher identity in contemporary schools has been questioned (e.g. Dowling 2011). The latest Finnish national PE curriculum (Finnish National Agency for Education 2014, to be implemented in autumn 2017) calls for joy, playfulness and enjoyment accompanied by an accepting attitude towards one’s body. In order to support this kind professional identity in PETE, it is important to better understand PE teachers’ notions about the body.

The objective of this study is to understand PE teacher professional identity and its formation during PETE by addressing the following specific research questions:

1. How do PE student teachers relate to their bodies?
2. In what ways does the body become a part of professional identity?

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