Pre-Service Primary Teachers Negotiating Physical Education Identities during the Practicum

Overview & Synopsis

This research examined the ways in which pre-service primary teachers' experiences of physical education during the practicum influenced the development of their identities as teachers of physical education. Guided by a social constructivist view of identity, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 pre-service teachers over one academic year, which involved two four-week practicum placements. Participants' observations and experiences of teaching physical education during the practicum led them to interpret ways in which they considered themselves similar or different to those teachers responsible for teaching physical education in their placement schools. In this way, participants articulated the extent to which they identified as teachers of physical education following two practicum placements. Recommendations are offered for improving the ways in which pre-service programmes support the development of primary teachers' identities across subject areas.