Thesis-2012-Chen.pdf (2.14 MB)
Physical education teachers career and continuing professional development in Taiwan
thesis
posted on 2012-07-31, 12:55 authored by Hsin-Heng ChenThis study investigates physical education (PE) teachers careers and professional
development in the context of Taiwanese junior high schools (pupils aged 12-14), where
a national educational reform the Grade 1-9 Curriculum was launched in 2001. In
particular, from teachers perspectives, this study addresses questions about (1) how and
why selected Taiwanese PE teachers engage in professional learning over their careers;
(2) the impact of the introduction of a new curriculum and policies; (3) ways in which
professional learning could be supported more effectively. Eight case study PE teachers,
who simultaneously worked as local coordinators, were invited as participants. Life
history method was followed by data analysis using constructivist grounded theory to
generate findings at three levels: individual life histories, cross-case themes and a
theoretical framework. In addition, the process of data analysis, both manually and
using a popular software package, is critically compared. The findings suggest that
teachers beliefs about professional development were closely connected to their
individual career histories, and these were influenced by a set of personal and
contextual factors in relation to their professional lives. Moreover, despite a major
government curriculum reform, the implementation of the new curriculum resulted in
very little change to these teachers practices, because: (1) the curriculum guidelines
were very flexible and were difficult for teachers to fully understand; and (2) there was
a lack of evaluation of, or accountability for, teachers practices. This study suggests
that the Taiwanese government s aspirations for radical changes to teachers practice
(both teaching and learning) are more likely to be realised by ensuring that policies and
the new curriculum are based on a more realistic understanding of teachers lives and
careers.
History
School
- Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences
Publisher
© Hsin-heng ChenPublication date
2012Notes
A Doctoral Thesis. Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy of Loughborough University.EThOS Persistent ID
uk.bl.ethos.577231Language
- en