Integrating theory and practice in physical education: Preservice Teachers' views on practitioner research

Practitioner enquiry is a well-established approach to professional learning that can facilitate teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and improve their educational practice. That said, practitioner enquiry is less frequently seen in physical education (PE) initial teacher education and in the general practice of PE teachers. This study examines the experiences and perceptions of 17 secondary PE preservice teachers (PTs) who completed a small-scale practitioner enquiry as part of their one-year postgraduate initial teacher education programme. A questionnaire and group interviews - conducted before, during, and at the end of the small-scale enquiry - were used to generate data. The findings revealed that the practitioner enquiry promoted greater collaboration between the PTs and their school-based mentors as they worked together to develop their shared understanding of the teaching and learning process. The practitioner enquiry also facilitated the PTs’ critical engagement with pedagogical research, enhanced their curricular knowledge and nurtured their independent professional identity.

Citation

Jones, L. (2023). Integrating theory and practice in physical education: Preservice Teachers' views on practitioner research. Curriculum Studies in Health and Physical Education, 14(2), 161-173. https://doi.org/10.1080/25742981.2022.2056066

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Journal

Curriculum Studies in Health and Physical Education

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10034/626777

DOI

10.1080/25742981.2022.2056066

Type

Article

Description

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Curriculum Studies in Health and Physical Education on 25/03/2022, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/25742981.2022.2056066

ISSN

2574-2981

EISSN

2574-299X

Additional Links

https://doi.org/10.1080/25742981.2022.2056066
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/25742981.2022.2056066