Graduate students’ practicum experiences instructing students with severe and profound disabilities in physical education

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takahiro Sato ◽  
Justin A Haegele

Students with disabilities are more likely than ever to be educated in physical education classes with their typically developing peers. Because of this, it is essential for all educational personnel, including physical educators, to have proper teacher education to help meet the unique needs of these students. Currently, the research base is underdeveloped with regard to the meaning that graduate-level pre-service adapted physical education (APE) specialists ascribe to practicum experiences teaching students with severe and profound disabilities during their graduate teacher education. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to describe and explain graduate students’ experiences instructing students with severe and profound disabilities during course-related practicum experiences. This study utilized a descriptive-qualitative approach using an exploratory case study design and was interpreted through the lens of occupational socialization theory. Nine graduate students enrolled in two master’s level APE programmes acted as participants for this study. As part of their coursework, each student completed a 200 hour hands-on practicum experience teaching students with severe and profound disabilities. Data were collected during this practicum experience through semi-structured interviews, follow-up email correspondence, and demographic questionnaires. Three themes, explainable through the use of organizational socialization theory, emerged, and were: (1) the ambiguous roles of APE teachers; (2) the need for specialized expertise; and (3) reality shock-unpredictable behaviors. Although each of the participants expressed some difficulties during the experience, they also described degrees of success in contributing to the education of students with severe and profound disabilities.

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 361-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kathleen Ellis ◽  
Monica Lepore ◽  
Lauren Lieberman

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of practicum experiences on pre-professional physical education teachers' intentions toward working with individuals with disabilities. Pre-professional physical education teachers were students in their respective university's PETE programs and were categorized based on level of practicum experience. Over a three year period, a total of 596 PETE students completed the Physical Educators' Intention toward Teaching Individuals with Disabilities (PEITID) questionnaire (Rizzo, 2007). Significant differences were found among groups for overall intention to teach students with disabilities in their general physical education classroom. Additionally, trends of more positive intentions among pre-professionals with greater practicum experiences lead to higher Quality of Experience and Perceived Competence. The results of this study indicated that the level and quality of practicum experience significantly influence pre-professional teachers' intentions and competence toward teaching individuals with disabilities. (138 words)


Author(s):  
K. Andrew R. Richards ◽  
Karen Lux Gaudreault ◽  
Wesley J. Wilson

The purpose of this research note is to introduce and overview both the teaching and research applications of autobiographical essay writing. Grounded in occupational socialization theory and teacher reflection, the authors propose that autobiography can be a powerful tool in helping preservice and in-service teachers more deeply reflect on their prior socialization experiences, which may help them to better understand and be willing to critique their personal belief structures. The authors provide an overview of how autobiographical essays have been used and include recommendations for teacher education practice. From a research perspective, the authors argue that autobiographical essays provide a targeted strategy for collecting reflective data on individuals’ background socialization experiences. Such data are critical for socialization scholars who are interested in understanding how teachers’ biographies influence their current teaching beliefs and practices. Applications for physical education-adjacent spaces, including doctoral education, adapted physical education, and elementary education, are also discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takahiro Sato ◽  
Francis M. Kozub ◽  
Amaury Samalot-Rivera

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to describe and explain master students’ academic and social experiences during the transition to teacher education master programs. This study is based on the theory of transition that supports the understanding of students’ transition to graduate studies as they connect to the academic supports needed to cope with the demands of advanced training in physical education. The participants were eight teacher education master students from two institutions who participated in a descriptive-qualitative design. The data sources were a demographic questionnaire, face-to-face interviews, and the program of graduate study. Results in themes related to (a)competing agendas, (b)hesitant to ask for help from professors, and (c)time management shock. To better support teacher education graduate students, we encourage academic departments, administrators, faculty, and all students to learn how to view themselves as playing various roles, such as academic advisors and graduate students.


Author(s):  
Marianne Presthus Heggen ◽  
Anne Myklebust Lynngård

AbstractCuriosity and wonder are considered fundamental for children’s development. However, no precise definition of curiosity exists, and there is little research on the nature of curiosity. There is also a lack of knowledge and ideas about how pedagogy can sustain and stimulate curiosity. Drawing upon empirical material from semi-structured interviews with seven Early Childhood Teacher Education (ECTE) lecturers from the disciplines of mathematics, arts, literature, drama, pedagogy, science and physical education about their view of children’s curiosity, the authors aim to explore the lecturers’ understanding of children’s curiosity and how this understanding varies between disciplines. Children enact their curiosity in a cultural-historical context. The cultural-historical tradition of outdoor play is a part of the institution’s practices influencing the children, while the children may use curiosity to influence the content of these practices. Although the lecturers are from different disciplines, their understanding of curiosity were consistent, particularly with regards to their focus on bodily expressions of curiosity. Expanding the concept of curiosity, we suggest the term bodily curiosity to recognise and operationalise a sensory, active and embodied search for answers. Similarly, we suggest the term bodily wonder about a kind of embodied philosophising.


2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 472-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wesley J. Wilson ◽  
K. Andrew R. Richards

Occupational socialization theory has been used to understand the recruitment, education, and socialization of physical education teachers for nearly 40 yr. It has, however, only recently been applied to the study of adapted physical education teachers. The purpose of this descriptive case study was to understand the socialization of preservice teachers in an adapted physical education teacher education graduate-level program. Participants included 17 purposefully selected preservice teachers (5 male and 12 female) enrolled in a yearlong graduate-level adapted physical education teacher education program. Qualitative data were collected using interviews, reflective journaling, and field notes taken during teaching and coursework observations. Data analysis resulted in the construction of 3 themes: overcoming contextual challenges to meet learners’ needs, the importance of field-based teacher education, and coping with the challenges of marginalization. The discussion connects to and advances occupational socialization theory in adapted physical education and suggests that professional socialization may have a more profound influence on preservice adapted physical education teachers than on their physical education counterparts.


2003 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 381-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel R. Hodge ◽  
Deborah Tannehill ◽  
Mary Ann Kluge

This phenomenological qualitative study explored the meaning of practicum experiences for physical education teacher education (PETE) students. Participants were 10 PETE students majoring in teaching and enrolled in an introductory adapted physical education course with an inclusion-based practicum requirement. Data were collected from participants’ self-reflective journals and analyzed using thematic analysis procedures (Giorgi, 1985). Eleven themes emerged that reflected the meaning of practicum experiences for these students. Our findings suggest that journaling provides a medium for PETE students to identify issues, address problems, and think critically about best practices.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-149
Author(s):  
K Andrew R Richards ◽  
Daniel P Gawrisch ◽  
Victoria N Shiver ◽  
Matthew D Curtner-Smith

Physical education teacher education enrollment numbers are declining with limited empirical understanding. Recruitment into the physical education profession has been passive, although scholars have begun to advocate for an active approach. The present study utilized occupational socialization theory to understand why undergraduate kinesiology majors select a kinesiology concentration outside of physical education. Participants ( n = 75) were kinesiology undergraduate students at a large, public university in the US Midwest. Quantitative data included forced-choice questions regarding socialization experiences ( n = 75) that were analyzed descriptively and through independent-samples t-tests to identify gender differences. Qualitative data included autobiographical essays ( n = 75) and semi-structured interviews ( n = 23), analyzed using a multi-phase process. Health and fitness was the most highly rated recruitment facilitator, and many of the facilitators were different than those noted in the physical education literature. The four qualitative themes included the following: (a) the influence of family, teachers and coaches, and medical mentors on career choice; (b) future career goals aligned with the helping professions; (c) negative experiences in physical education act as a barrier to recruitment; and (d) firsthand and active recruitment into kinesiology. Participants’ negative physical education experiences reinforces the idea that the passive recruitment process serves to socialize some students out of physical education. Future research should consider professional socialization within kinesiology-aligned fields outside of physical education. Active recruitment initiatives should be designed to increase enrollments in physical education teacher education.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Backman ◽  
Gunn Nyberg ◽  
Håkan Larsson

The purpose of this paper is to analyse and discuss physical education teacher education (PETE) students’ conceptions of teaching and assessment of movement capability as a part of content knowledge in aquatics, dance and ice-skating at a university in Sweden. The theoretical perspective involves Shulman’s concept of content knowledge, the further elaboration of content knowledge into common content knowledge, and the theoretical perspective underpinning movement capability. The sample consists of two groups with a total of seven PETE students who volunteered to take part in group interviews. Semi-structured interviews with the two groups were conducted on three occasions. Findings display that the students’ conceptions of movement capability seem to be focused around performance of movements. Further, the participants felt the messages to be unclear in terms of what they are to know regarding movement capability before entering PETE. There was also a contradiction in that the PETE students felt it to be obvious that they would ‘know’ certain movements, and at the same time they requested clear and distinct criteria when it came to the performance of movements. This study shows that expectations in terms of PETE students’ levels of movement content knowledge need to be further investigated and discussed. This study also highlights the importance of conceptualising what PETE students need to learn if they are to see the need to develop their movement capability on their own. Assessments of students’ reflections on what it means to master movements are discussed as an alternative to assessment of performance of movements.


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