Responsibilities of subject mentors, professional mentors and link tutors in secondary physical education initial teacher education

Legislative changes in England, most notably the publication of Initial teacher training (Secondary phase) (Circular 9/92) by the Department for Education (DfE, 1992), have resulted in the reorganisation of initial teacher education (ITE), including the introduction of school-based ITE. In school-based ITE, the responsibilities of higher education institution (HEI) and school-based staff have been reorganised and responsibility for mentoring of students in school has become key. Although there has been much research on the effectiveness of school-based ITE, and on the effectiveness of partnerships and of school-based mentors, there has been little research on whether perceptions of staff as to their own and others responsibilities are compatible and whether these match those identified in role descriptions for various staff involved with the course. The purpose of this study was to identify perceptions of which staff had major and which had supporting responsibility for specific aspects of ITE courses, for supporting students in their development as teachers and to meet the standards for the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and to compare these perceptions (i) among staff and students, and (ii) with the responsibilities as identified in course documentation. Subject mentors, professional mentors, link tutors and students on four secondary physical education Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) courses answered a questionnaire identifying their perceptions of responsibilities for different aspects of the course. Course documentation that identified the responsibilities of the three groups of staff on the four courses included in the study was also considered. Results showed that perceptions of staff about their own and others responsibilities for different aspects of the course do not always match perceptions of other members of staff about responsibilities but perceptions of their own responsibilities generally match those identified in course documentation except in two specific areas; major responsibility for supporting students in their actual teaching in school and supporting students to reach the standards for further professional requirements. Results are considered in relation to implications for supporting students in their development as teachers. Implications for further research are also identified

Secondary PGCE PE students’ perceptions of their subject knowledge

PE teachers in England are required to teach a wide range of physical activities in order to fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum for Physical Education (NCPE). The content or subject knowledge necessary to teach all areas of activity in the NCPE is acknowledged as important, both in its own right and as giving students confidence and accuracy for subject application. Subject knowledge is identified as one of the standards for the award of qualified teacher status on completion of an initial teacher education course in England. However, students entering secondary Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) PE courses bring with them a variety of experiences, qualifications and subject knowledge to teach the areas of activity in the NCPE. Most students have a sports-related degree. However, such degrees may not include subject knowledge appropriate to teach all six areas of activity in the NCPE. Students, therefore, are required to gain subject knowledge on their one year PGCE course. The purpose of this study was to look at secondary PGCE PE students’ perceptions of amount of subject knowledge in the six areas of activity that comprise the NCPE. Twenty-seven students completed a questionnaire at the beginning of each of the second and third terms of their course (January and April). The questionnaire included a question about knowledge in the six areas of activity in the NCPE and in specific Games taught in many schools in England. Results suggested that there were differences in students’ perceptions of amount of subject knowledge. The highest percentage of students perceived good subject knowledge in traditional team Games. The highest percentage of students perceived little subject knowledge in Outdoor and Adventurous Activities (OAA) and Dance. There were significant differences between male and female students’ perceptions of knowledge in OAA, Swimming, Football, Netball and Rounders. There were also significant differences in students’ perceptions of knowledge in Dance, Gymnastics, OAA and Volleyball between the beginning of the second and third terms. Implications of the results are considered in relation to: (i) experiences which students require on PGCE courses to develop subject knowledge; (ii) selection procedures for secondary PGCE PE courses; and (iii) preparation of students for secondary PGCE PE courses on sports-related degree courses

Secondary students’ development as teachers over the course of a PGCE year

Research has suggested that students pass through different concerns or stages in their development as teachers. Although some authors have suggested that concerns or stages are sequential, other research does not support sequential concerns or stages of development. The major purpose of this study was to look at the concerns of students at different times during a one-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) course, particularly to identify any changes in concerns about school experience as they developed as teachers and whether the development of concernswas sequential. A second purpose was to look atwhether the Teacher Concerns Questionnaire (TCQ) is a useful instrument for measuring students' concerns. One cohort of students on a secondary PGCE course in Englandwas administered the TCQ on three occasions during the academic year 1996/97. Results showed that these students were moderately concerned about school experience at the three administrations of the questionnaire. Self and impact concerns were the highest causes of concern and task concerns the lowest causes of concern at all three administrations of the questionnaire. Results also showed that there was a significant difference in the amount of total concern between the first and second and first and third administrations of the questionnaire, but not between the second and third administrations. There were significant differences between scores on nine of the items on the TCQ. However, there were no significant differences between students learning to teach different subjects. The three categories of concern identified for the TCQ: self, task and impact concerns, were only partly supported by the results of this study. The results did not support work which has suggested that the development of concerns is sequential. The results are discussed in relation to the ongoing development of teachers and identifying concerns of individual students

Stress in physical education teachers in Qatar

Stress is an area of interest among researchers and practitioners in many fields – including teaching. Much of the research on causes of stress for teachers has focused on teachers in general; only a few studies have focused on physical education teachers. Although there have been a few studies of causes of stress for physical education teachers in the Middle East, no studies have been conducted on physical education teachers in Qatar. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify causes of stress for physical education teachers in Qatar at the beginning and end of the school year as well as any changes over the course of the year. A second purpose was to try to explain any differences in causes of stress according to: gender; nationality; type of school; and amount of experience. Results showed that there were different causes of stress for different groups of teachers which could be related to different backgrounds and experiences and different roles and responsibilities in society as a result of different cultural and social expectations and environmental factors

The development of knowledge for teaching physical education in secondary schools over the course of a PGCE year

There has been a considerable amount of work on what knowledge student teachers need to develop to become effective teachers. The purpose of this study was to look at the development of knowledge of student physical education teachers in England. Six secondary student physical education teachers completed a journal on a monthly basis throughout their one year course. The student teachers and their mentors were interviewed in school towards the end of their course in June. Responses were analysed inductively. Results showed that knowledge important to develop, knowledge developed and knowledge which still needs to be developed at the end of the course was all related to content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge which they could apply in the immediate practical teaching situation. The results are discussed in relation to the development of student physical education teachers knowledge for teaching

Intended or unintended? Issues arising from the implementation of the UK Government’s 2003 Schools Workforce Remodelling Act

The United Kingdom (UK) Government's 2003 Workforce Remodelling Act (DfES, 2003) contained nine key points aimed at supporting teachers and schools to raise educational standards without adding additional workload responsibilities. In September 2005 planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time was introduced. This allows for all teachers to have 10% of their timetable to plan lessons, prepare resources and assess pupils' work. This raises issues of what 10% of their time, with pupils, teachers relinquish for PPA. One common solution in primary schools seems to have been to employ coaches (particularly football coaches) to teach Physical Education (PE) lessons. The purpose of this study was therefore to identify the knowledge, skill and understanding of a group of community-based football coaches working in PPA time in primary schools and to understand the implications for schools, coaches and coach educators. Results showed that these coaches had very little knowledge of the National Curriculum Physical Education (NCPE) and used a narrow range of teaching methods. Some of their pedagogical decision making had a negative consequence on pupils' learning. Thirteen of the twenty-one coaches studied did not plan in the short, medium or long term. There was evidence of routine action (Dewey, 1933) although there was some evidence of reflection. These findings are discussed in relation to the implications of employing coaches to teach the NCPE in schools and also in relation to what Continuing Professional Development (CPD) coaches need to develop the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding for working in schools. Although there is a clear PE focus to this current study, there are implications for the teaching of other subjects in primary schools in England and for the use of sports coaches within education in other national contexts. Despite differences in government policies and practices in schools, in many countries there are likely to be issues with the status, delivery and resourcing of PE

Exchange of information about physical education to support the transition of pupils from primary and secondary school

The purpose of this study was to identify how information about physical education is exchanged between secondary schools and their respective feeder primary schools, what information is exchanged and how this information is used. A secondary purpose was to look at whether there is any relationship between schools engaging in liaison activities and exchanging information about physical education, and between exchanging information and the number of associated secondary schools to which pupils are sent or feeder primary schools from which pupils are received. Questionnaires were sent to 177 secondary and 538 feeder primary schools. Responses from 80 secondary schools and 299 primary schools showed that the highest percentage of teachers exchanged information through written documentation, followed by discussion at cross phase liaison meetings. The type of information exchanged by the highest percentage of teachers was identified as generic information about key stage 2 and 3 of the National Curriculum for Physical Education (NCPE) areas of activity and schemes of work, rather than information about the specific physical education content covered or information about individual pupils, such as levels of attainment or ability. Further, results suggest that information may be used for pastoral purposes and that only a small percentage of teachers used the information exchanged to plan for continuity and progression in the physical education curriculum. There was a significant positive relationship between engagement in liaison activities and information received about the physical education curriculum followed by pupils, but a significant negative relationship for primary teachers between the number of different secondary schools to which pupils' progress and knowledge about the key stage 3 schemes of work that Year 6 pupils will follow in their associated secondary schools. These results are discussed in relation to continuity and progression in physical education in the transfer of pupils from primary to secondary schools

Making physical education relevant: Increasing the impact of initial teacher training

This paper is developed from concern that, despite a number of developments and initiatives in physical education over recent years, there has been little change in the teaching of the subject. This has resulted in many young people being alienated from physical education and therefore physical activity. The paper focuses on how initial teacher training (ITT) contributes to this lack of change by focusing on the development of knowledge for teaching and the technical competence to deliver this. It then considers ways in which ITT could contribute to developing ‘knowledgeable teachers’ who are able to make change. The paper focuses on two aspects identified as relevant for trainee physical education teachers: socialisation and knowledge for teaching. It recognises that the issues are complex and that change is difficult. It also recognises that ITT cannot change things by itself. However, it argues that by maintaining the status quo, the subject will not develop so that it is relevant to today’s youngsters

A study of current practice in liaison between primary and secondary schools in physical education

The purpose of this study was to investigate current practice in liaison between primary and secondary schools to promote continuity and progression in physical education during the transfer of pupils from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3 and to identify constraints to engaging in liaison activities. A questionnaire was completed by the head of the physical education department in secondary schools in five local education authorities in England that received pupils from primary schools in year 7 (n = 80) and by the physical education coordinator of the primary feeder schools of those secondary schools that responded to the questionnaire (n = 299). Results showed that 32 (43.8%) secondary teachers and 157 (53.4%) primary teachers identified that they had established contacts with their primary feeder schools or associated secondary schools respectively; and 49 (64.5%) secondary teachers but 114 (39.6%) primary teachers identified that currently they were engaged in liaison activities. There was a discrepancy between the percentages of teachers who indicated they had contacts with their primary feeder schools or associated secondary schools respectively, and who indicated they were engaged in liaison activities with them. These results suggested that contacts with and/or engagement in liaison activities between primary and secondary schools were not consistent across schools. A range of constraints for developing effective contacts/liaison activities were identified, with time being identified as the major constraint by both primary and secondary teachers. A range of suggestions for overcoming the constraints were also identified. These results are discussed in relation to findings from studies looking at liaison in other subjects and also in relation to the implications for schools

An examination of knowledge prioritisation in secondary physical education teacher education courses

A number of terms have been used to describe knowledge needed for teaching, one of which is subject knowledge. How knowledge for teaching is conceptualised in teacher education prioritises some knowledge bases over other knowledge bases. Further, knowledge prioritised by student teachers is influenced by socialisation prior to and during an initial teacher education course and priorities for student teachers as they develop as teachers. Previous research in physical education teacher education points to the pre-eminence of content knowledge above other knowledge bases. The purpose of this study was to look at what knowledge is prioritised by student teachers, school-based mentors and university tutors working on three secondary physical education initial teacher education courses in England. Results showed that content knowledge was seen as having greater importance for student teachers and mentors, but university tutors generally conceptualised subject knowledge more broadly, suggesting that it should be seen as covering a number of knowledge bases needed for teaching. These results are discussed in relation to socialisation processes in education and phases of development. Although there is a clear physical education focus to this work, it is possible that student teachers learning to teach other subjects may also focus excessively on subject content knowledge above other knowledge bases