PE teacher selection and employment examination: a reinventive institution within teacher education and socialisation

The form of Physical Education (PE) teacher selection matters in that, as a system of rules (i.e. institution), it shapes the practices of Initial Teacher Education (ITE), including pre-service PE teachers’ daily preparation for teaching qualification and employment. This article examines the secondary PE teacher selection examination as one of the locations of teacher socialisation and identity (re)formulation. Focusing on South Korea’s National Secondary Teacher Selection and Employment Examination (STSEE), the paper addresses two main research questions: (a) how does the STSEE structure everyday practices of pre-service PE teachers who prepare for the exam for a year at least; and (b) what does this intensive year-long routine of commitment bring to the social and professional identities of the applicants? Drawing on a micro-sociological concept of ‘reinventive institutions’ (Scott, 2010, 2011), this study analyses qualitative data from a number of documents and in-depth interviews with 11 pre- and in-service PE teachers. Our analysis reveals two main findings. First, the STSEE features key attributes of reinventive institutions, including total commitment to exam preparation, deference to gurus and communities of comradeship, all of which operate on the basis of individuals’ aspirations to success in the STSEE. Second, distinguished from the stereotype of physical educators in previous generations (e.g. incompetent, violent and unprofessional), PE teachers who have passed the exam acquire reinvented identities as smart, passionate and professional PE teachers who can enjoy ‘permanent job security’ with their advanced social positionality. The paper concludes by discussing the significance of teacher employment examinations in studying PE teachers’ socialisation into the profession.