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Physical education teachers' continuing professional development in health-related exercise: a figurational analysis

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journal contribution
posted on 2013-01-11, 13:23 authored by Lorraine CaleLorraine Cale, Laura Alfrey, Louisa Webb
This paper uses figurational sociology to explain why Secondary Physical Education teachers’ engagement with Health Related Exercise (HRE) is often limited. Historically-rooted concerns surround the teaching of HRE, and these have recently been linked to teachers’ limited continuing professional development (CPD) in HRE (HRE-CPD). A two-phase, mixed-method study involving a survey questionnaire (n=124) and semi-structured interviews (n=12) was conducted in the UK to explore Physical Education teachers’ engagement with HRE and HRE-CPD over time. The findings confirm that teachers’ engagement with HRE-CPD is often limited. Indeed, nearly three quarters of the teachers (73%) also felt that their tertiary education had failed to adequately prepare them to teach HRE. This paper argues that a range of interdependent processes are contributing towards teachers’ limited engagement with HRE, and that most of these processes – such as the marginalisation of HRE – are rooted in the privileging of sporting, individualised and performative ideologies within Physical Education. In conclusion, it is argued that informed and strategic action which addresses the above issues and which transcends all levels of the education figuration is needed if the concerns surrounding HRE are to be overcome.

History

School

  • Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences

Citation

CALE, L., ALFREY, L. and WEBB, L., 2012. Physical education teachers' continuing professional development in health-related exercise: a figurational analysis. European Physical Education Review, 18 (3), pp. 361 - 379

Publisher

SAGE © The authors

Version

  • AM (Accepted Manuscript)

Publication date

2012

Notes

This article was published in the journal European Physical Education Review [SAGE © The Authors]. The definitive version is available at: http://epe.sagepub.com/content/18/3/361.abstract

ISSN

1356-336X

eISSN

1741-2749

Language

  • en