Enacting assessment for learning in the induction phase of physical education teaching

In many countries, assessment for learning (AfL) is recommended in both policy and research as a concept that should be integrated into the teaching of physical education (PE) in schools. AfL is also part of physical education teacher education (PETE) programs in several countries and, consequently, something future PE teachers are expected to practice in their teaching. In a previous study ( Tolgfors et al., 2021 ), we showed how AfL was transmitted and transformed between a university course and a school placement course within Swedish PETE. In the current study, we have more closely followed three of the preservice teachers who took part in our initial study into their first year of PE teaching. The purpose of this follow-up study is thus to explore how AfL is enacted in the induction phase of PE teaching. The more specific research question is: how is AfL enacted in beginning teachers’ PE practices under the contextual conditions provided at the schools where they are employed? The data were generated through Stimulated Recall interviews and follow-up interviews via the online meeting software Zoom. The analysis was based on Braun et al.’s (2011) contextual dimensions of policy enactment and Bernstein’s (1996) pedagogic device. Our findings illustrate how AfL is generally enacted through (1) progression and (2) “rich tasks.” However, the contextual dimensions of each school provide different conditions that either support or hinder the use of AfL in PE. AfL is accordingly enacted in different ways in the induction phase of PE teaching.

Pre-service physical education teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive physical education

A teacher’s positive attitude is an important factor for successful inclusive physical education (PE). PE teachers’ attitudes are shaped during PE teacher education (PETE) programs. Thus, a valid instrument is needed not only for assessing pre-service PE teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive PE but also for evaluating the effect of PETE programs in general and the effect of specific parts of such programs (e.g., seminars) on the development of those attitudes. Regarding the measurement of this attitude, little is known about how a subject-specific attitude toward inclusive education is related to general attitudes toward inclusive education. In this study 362 pre-service PE teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education in general and inclusive PE were assessed using two general attitude scales and one PE-specific attitude scale. By conducting confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs), the factorial and convergent validity of the PE-specific scale was investigated. Results showed that the scale measures attitude toward inclusive PE adequately and that this attitude is related to general attitudes toward inclusive education. In addition, the measurement invariance of the scale among different degree programs of the pre-service PE teachers as well as group differences in the assessed attitude depending on the degree programs were investigated using multigroup CFA. The results support the use of the scale in the context of PETE for inclusion, but also point to general difficulties regarding attitude measurement in the context inclusive of (physical) education.

Chapter 6: Perspectives on the Future of Doctoral Programs

What does the future hold for Doctoral Programs for Physical Education Teacher Education (D-PETE) programs, faculty, and doctoral students? What can D-PETE faculty prioritize and do to create a more desirable future for D-PETE, PETE, and school physical education programs? What are the main facilitators, constraints, and barriers? Framed by these three questions, this chapter offers an action-oriented analysis of doctoral programs. Alongside physical education-specific program priorities influential factors in the external environment merit attention, including regional and state accreditation, neoliberal forces for accountability, the regulatory environment, program standards and national rankings, and declining enrollments. Mindful of alternative perspectives and university- and program-specific action plans, a dual priority appears to be crosscutting. Every D-PETE program needs to reflect theoretically sound and evidence-based practices, and D-PETE graduates need to be prepared to advance these practices after graduation. Toward these ends, it is timely to work toward consensus on a core knowledge base, explore how best to share resources across university boundaries, and join forces to solidify and safeguard appropriate practices. Today’s choices have short- and long-term consequences for each program and the profession overall, recommending that national priorities gain prominence alongside local program traditions and D-PETE faculty practices.

A Study of Preservice Physical Education Teachers’ Content Knowledge of Health-Related Fitness

Purpose: The authors assessed common content knowledge of health-related fitness in a national representative sample of preservice physical education teachers in the United States. Methods: Six hundred and twenty-one preservice physical education teachers from 68 physical education teacher education (PETE) programs located in different regions in the United States completed the 40 multiple choice items health-related fitness knowledge test during the semester prior to their student teaching. In addition, each PETE program coordinator/department head completed the PETE Program Information Questionnaire. Results: The mean percentage correct on the test was 61.3% (M = 24.5, SD = 4.9). Analyses of variance and t-test analyses indicated that common content knowledge of health-related fitness was not a function of sex, program size, or region of the United States. Discussion/Conclusions: These data suggest that preservice physical education teachers in the United States lack common content knowledge of health-related fitness and warrant the attention of PETE programs.

Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Pedagogies for and by Black and Latinx Preservice Physical Education Teachers

Introduction: Physical education (PE) and physical education teacher education (PETE) are informed by whiteness, resulting in marginalization and forced hypervisibility for community members of color. Culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogies (CRSP) facilitate “within group . . . [and] across-group cultural practices” for students and teachers of color to thrive. Purpose: This study highlights CRSP grounded in the experiences of Black and Latinx preservice PE teachers enrolled in predominantly White PETE programs. Methods: For this qualitative visual inquiry, 10 Black and Latinx PETE students each completed three interviews, coupled with participant-generated imagery. Data were analyzed inductively and deductively. Results: Students’ narratives included “othering” and hypervisibility. Participants’ understandings of CRSP illustrated the meaning-making they associated with CRSP. Participants identified co-conspirators, sources of support, and PETE pedagogies within a CRSP framework. Conclusion: The narratives support the call to embed CRSP within PETE programs to center students’ diverse cultural and ethnic identities.

Chapter 4: Physical Education Teacher Education Initial Certification: Meeting the Challenges

The physical education teacher education (PETE) faculty charged with oversight and delivery of initial teacher licensure programs confront several challenges. Some necessitate responses to revised and new standards, while others can be reframed as timely opportunities for improvement and innovation, whether in response to or in anticipation of rapid, dramatic societal change. Six examples of challenges as opportunities are discussed in this chapter: (a) the need to determine the skills, essential knowledge, values, and sensitivities for work practices in the schools of the future; (b) the dual priority for evidence-based practices in PETE and in school programs; (c) PETE faculty members’ obligations to adapt their pedagogical practices and revise preservice programs in concert with expert, veteran teachers from schools with exemplary programs; (d) manifest needs to make choices among competing, evidence-supported physical education program models; (e) needs and opportunities to redesign PETE programs, especially those located in kinesiology departments; and (f) emergent policy imperatives to demonstrate the value-added effects, both short- and long-term, on tomorrow’s teachers.

Physical Education Teacher Education in Kinesiology: Past, Present, and Future

This paper evolved from a panel discussion presented at the 2020 American Kinesiology Association Leadership Workshop focused on promoting physical activity through Kinesiology teaching and outreach. The authors consider the role of Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) in promoting physical activity by examining the historical role that PETE has played in what are now Departments of Kinesiology, the status of PETE programs today, and how the future of PETE programs can impact the future of the discipline of Kinesiology. The challenges and barriers that PETE programs face are presented. The role of PETE programs in research institutions is examined, and case studies are presented that demonstrate the complexities the academic units face regarding allocating resources to PETE programs. The consequences of program termination are considered, and the authors then make a case that PETE programs are important to the broader discipline of Kinesiology. The authors conclude by encouraging innovative solutions that can be developed to help PETE programs thrive.