Related Experiment Videos
Physical Education Preservice Teachers' Perceptions About Preparation for Comprehensive School Physical Activity
Ja Youn Kwon1, Pamela Hodges Kulinna1, Hans van der Mars1
1a Arizona State University.
Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport
|April 5, 2018
Summary
Preservice teachers report insufficient practical preparation for implementing Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAPs) in their physical education teacher education (PETE) programs. More hands-on experiences are desired to equip future educators for promoting physical activity beyond the gym.
Area of Science:
- Health Education
- Teacher Training
- Kinesiology
Background:
- Physical educators are key to implementing Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAPs).
- The extent to which physical education teacher education (PETE) programs prepare preservice teachers for CSPAP implementation is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore preservice teachers' perspectives and experiences regarding their preparation for CSPAP implementation within PETE programs.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study involving 14 PETE students from 6 universities.
- Data collected via surveys, interviews, field images, and document analysis.
- Data analyzed using descriptive statistics, constant comparison, and analytic induction.
Main Results:
- Familiarity with CSPAPs correlated with positive views on physical educators' roles.
- Key themes: CSPAP introduction in courses, lack of hands-on program-wide experiences, and limited stakeholder social skills preparation.
- Preservice teachers' views on physical educators as physical activity leaders expanded during training.
Conclusions:
- PETE programs introduce CSPAP concepts through existing courses but lack sufficient practical implementation opportunities.
- Preservice teachers feel inadequately prepared to promote and implement physical activity programs beyond physical education classes.
- A majority of preservice teachers desire more practical CSPAP experiences in their PETE programs.