A Status Report of PETE Faculty in the Central District

Overview & Synopsis

In recent years, there has been extensive examination and scrutiny of the education system and teacher education programs, more specifically, physical education teacher education (PETE) programs. Lawson (1991) and Mitchell (2006) believed that PETE faculty are critical to the future of the physical education profession and play a pivotal role in the reproduction and transformation of work practices in physical education. Bahneman (1996) stated that the quality and nature of the physical education programs depends on the professionals responsible for the curricular decision making. The purpose of this study was to develop a status report of PETE faculty located at colleges or universities in the Central District (AAHPERD). Of the 223 faculty members invited to participate, 118 faculty members, from 62 colleges and universities completed the demographic survey (53% response rate). The 32-item survey included questions related to teaching experience, coaching experiences, presentations, publications, and professional organization involvement. Results indicated that a hybrid participant would be a 50-year-old assistant professor. This faculty member would hold a doctorate, have about 24 years of total teaching experience (K-12 and higher education), about 17 years of higher education teaching experience, and some coaching experience at the higher education level. Over his/her career, this hybrid faculty member has averaged about six and a half publications, 18 professional presentations, and is a member of a national or state physical education professional organization. The findings from this study provided a general demographic profile which provides insight about the features of current PETE faculty in the Central District. (Contains 6 tables.)