PE-for-health in Maltese schools: supporting teachers’ professional development

There have been many interpretations of health within the Physical Education (PE) curriculum over the years and its implementation has encountered various challenges. An evidence-based approach to health learning in PE has been called for to investigate how PE teachers can be supported through effective continuous professional development (CPD) to address increasing health expectations. Underpinned by an interpretivist paradigm, this three-phase qualitative study focusses on health within PE in Malta and on PE teachers’ CPD in this area. Specifically, it explores the expectations of PE with regard to health and how physical educators are supported through innovative and effective PE-CPD to meet health expectations.

In phase 1, expectations of PE with regard to health were investigated. This involved conducting 31 interviews with policy makers, PE officials and teacher educators, and PE teachers. The findings revealed increasing health expectations of PE and, although health outcomes were accepted by all stakeholders, there was lack of clarity on how these were to be achieved. PE teachers were disengaged from policy and curricular developments and the broad range of outcomes associated with PE hindered the implementation of health learning within the subject. The absence of health-related CPD and research in this field were identified as gaps within the Maltese education system. Informed by the phase 1 findings and relevant PE-CPD literature, phase 2 involved designing, implementing and evaluating PE-for-health professional development (PD) with 6 volunteer PE teachers. The PE-for-health PD framework was tailor-made to suit the range of learning needs of the PE teachers and to support them in meeting health expectations. Subsequently, in phase 3, the teachers’ experiences of and responses to the PD were investigated through a focus group and individual interviews. It was revealed that the PE teachers considered the PD to be innovative and evolutionary. They welcomed key features of the process, such as its flexibility, sustained approach and collaborative nature which encouraged reflection and professional dialogue. The PD supported the PE teachers' personal and professional growth, provided a space for their voices to be heard, led them to make changes to their practices and empowered them to take the lead as health advocates in raising the health agenda in their schools. Engagement of the PE teachers beyond the PD process however, proved challenging.

The findings suggest implications for policy and practice relating to PE-CPD provision and health learning in Maltese schools. Health expectations and outcomes should be taken more seriously and health should be given more prominence within PE in Malta. Effective health learning in PE in Maltese schools is dependent on teachers being supported with relevant, engaging PE-CPD. A redesign of PE-CPD provision in Malta, involving specialist pathways and including a focus on health learning and effective facilitation, is called for. Meaningful PE-CPD will help ensure that PE teachers are actively and strategically engaged to challenge the status quo of the subject and achieve PE-for-health expectations.