An exploration of the use of Twitter as a professional development platform for in-service secondary school physical educators

Purpose: To explore secondary school physical educators' use of Twitter (now X) for professional development (PD), examining engagement patterns and evolution over time through the lens of Sense of Community theory. 

Method: Sixty-one secondary school physical educators completed a questionnaire shared on Twitter (now X). Ten teachers also completed individual semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. 

Results: Three themes were constructed a) Physical educator Twitter engagement and its impact, b) Evolution of educators Twitter use over time, and c) Opportunities and advice for physical educators. 

Discussion/Conclusion: This study explored how physical educators use Twitter (X) for professional development and highlighted its impact on teaching practices, networking, and professional opportunities whilst noting concerns about the pressure of being perfect and the control exerted by X’s algorithms. Future research should assess the consistency of these findings and explore Twitter's rebranding to X and its implications for users' community sense and engagement.