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Background: Scholars have suggested that students' views of what is important for them to know as Physical Education (PE) teachers are a result of what is assessed in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE). Thus, there is a risk that students will reproduce content areas such as sports and assess sport-techniques without much critical consideration. In this study, however, the risk of reproducing what is prioritised in PETE is seen as an opportunity regarding the potential reproduction of other content areas than sports. Based on the regulative principles of PE and PETE that privilege sport skills and hinder creative movement learning, we focus on a content area in PETE that provides opportunities for students to engage in creative collaboration and examine how this content area is realised in school PE. Hence, we have chosen to explore 'Movement Composition', a content area which has a long tradition at one of the PETE universities in Sweden. Based on an overarching interest in whether and how PETE matters, this exploratory study focuses on the potential transferability of Movement Composition as a particular content area in the transition from PETE to PE. Purpose and research question: The purpose of this study is to explore Movement Composition as a content area undergoing the transition from PETE to school PE. The research question is: How is the pedagogic discourse of Movement Composition constructed, recontextualised and realised in the transition from PETE to school PE? Methods: Data was generated through an interview with one of the initiators of Movement Composition. Stimulated Recall interviews and Zoom interviews were also conducted with a group of five PETE students and three experienced PE teachers. In addition, documents such as the study guide, course literature, and written assignments associated with Movement Composition in the PETE programme were included in the empirical material. In the analysis, the combination of Bernstein's pedagogic device and the Swedish didactics of PE research tradition was used to identify the pedagogic discourse of Movement Composition in the transition from PETE to school PE. Findings: The findings show how the pedagogic discourse of Movement Composition as a content area is constructed, recontextualised and realised in the transition from PETE to school PE. The construction of Movement Composition as a pedagogic discourse in PETE is about how the content area (the what) is selected and organised for pedagogical purposes. The recontextualisation of Movement Composition is about how the pedagogic discourse is interpreted and translated in relation to the PE syllabus. The realisation of Movement Composition involves how the content area in PETE is implemented in PE practice. Conclusions: This exploratory study has shown that what is articulated as a relevant content area and the way it is taught, learned, and assessed in PETE in many regards survives the transition to school PE. The transition from PETE to school PE does not only involve reproduction of sports and sport-techniques from one context to another. PETE also contributes to the use of creative, collaborative, and student-centred learning tasks in school PE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the ways in which physical education teacher education (PETE) prepares preservice physical education teachers (PPETs) to select and implement appropriate assessments. Methods: PPETs (N = 14) enrolled in the secondary teaching methods course at two US universities participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews were completed to collect data concerning how assessment knowledge and skills were taught and learned. Constant content comparison method was used to analyze the data. Results: Two major themes with varying sub-themes emerged from the data: 'Scratching the surface of assessment with unclear learning objectives', and 'Perceiving the importance of assessment, but still not integrate it into instruction' Overall, assessment was not found to conjunctionally taught with instruction. School-based field experiences pertaining to assessment content and pedagogical knowledge were also weak. Conclusions: Minimum assessment knowledge and skills were taught in secondary methods courses with little field experience pertaining to assessment. Future research is needed on examining PETE program content and pedagogy courses to highlight the need for assessment instruction and transform our approaches to preparing PPETs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Various forms and types of knowledge have enjoyed legitimacy in physical education (PE) since sports techniques became the orienting idea for PE in economically advanced countries in the mid-twentieth century. The forms and types of knowledge granted legitimacy at any one moment are dependent on a range of socio-discursive factors. In this paper, we consider ball games knowledge within the Swedish PE teacher education context in the 2020s. Purpose: The specific aim of the paper is to generate insights into how ball games experts within PE teacher education define legitimate ball games knowledge. Our proposition is that by examining the ways these experts define ball games knowledge, physical education teacher educators may develop more nuanced understandings of how and why knowledge comes to be seen as legitimate. Methods: In order to conceptualize experts' knowledge of ball games, Shulman's concepts of content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) were employed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two teacher educators who specialized in ball games education from three different PETE institutions in Sweden (n = 6). The interviews focused on the PETE educators' understandings of ball games and how they prepared preservice teachers to teach ball games. Findings: The PETE educators defined ball games CK as: (1) understanding of games as a cultural phenomenon, (2) tactical understanding of games, and (3) embodied understanding of how to play ball games. The PETE educators defined ball games PCK as: (1) using ball games to meet different curricular goals, (2) focusing on tactical understanding with a small number of concepts, (3) adapting teaching so that all pupils are included, and (4) managing competition. Conclusions: Four issues related to the legitimacy of this knowledge are raised. The issues concern the ways in which: (1) a complementary sport discourse is permeated by educational discourse to achieve legitimacy; (2) CK and PCK are designed to achieve legitimacy with different stakeholders; (3) public health discourse is not used to develop legitimacy for ball games knowledge, and (4) historical factors continue to affect experts' understandings of ball games. The central conclusion drawn from the investigation is that ball games experts engage in a complex process of discursive negotiation when defining the knowledge with which they work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The imperative for social justice in education means that pre-service teachers should learn how to teach for and about social justice, including pedagogical and content knowledge. Understanding how physical education (PE) pre-service teachers and teacher educators construct and develop their knowledge of social justice pedagogies and critical content, intertwined with values based on social justice and equity, is needed to best support future teachers. Purpose: The focus of this paper is how physical education teacher educators and PE and sport pedagogy university faculty have developed their knowledge of teaching for and about social justice: where their knowledge came from and how they draw upon it in their teaching and programme design. Method: Seventy-two faculty from seven countries engaged in an in-depth interview about their conceptualisation of social justice, their knowledge, practices, institutions, and policy contexts and completed a demographic survey on their social identity and professional experiences. Using a social justice pedagogical and content knowledge (SJPACK) model, thematic analysis generated formal educational study, workplace experience, and personal or social identity bases of social justice knowledge. Findings: Many of those who expressed a commitment to teaching about and for social justice had personal and professional experiences that had provided 'eye-opening' moments. For instance, some had encountered marginalisation and discrimination based on their identity. If social justice issues were not a part of a participant's lived experience, but they had professional experience in the field, they were struck by what they did not know and subsequently sought out postgraduate or professional development. Professional experiences in the field were much more likely than formal education experiences to provide recognition that participants needed to learn more about social justice. Social justice is both knowledge and an ideological stance, so learning about social justice is as much about values and disposition as about content. Social justice must be important enough for teacher educators to embed in their belief system so that it becomes part of their pedagogical practice. Conclusion: This study prompts consideration of the professional development needs of teacher educators concerning social justice that goes beyond acknowledging the existence of sociocultural issues by moving towards changes in pedagogical practices in PETE and PESP programmes. We advocate collaborative and reflective professional development for educators if SJPACK is to be woven throughout teacher education programmes and not just incumbent on educators with personal experience of social justice issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social justice as a concept and a pedagogy has (and is) gaining traction in physical education teacher education [Walton-Fisette, J. L., and S. Sutherland. 2018. "Moving Forward with Social Justice Education in Physical Education Teacher Education". Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy 23 (5): 461–468] and school physical education [Philpot, R., G. Gerdin, W. Smith, S. Linnér, K. Schenker, K. Westlie, K. M. Moen, and L. Larsson. 2021. "Taking Action for Social Justice in HPE Classrooms Through Explicit Critical Pedagogies." Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy 26 (6): 662–674]. Despite this growing body of research, there seems to be a lack of understanding around the 'how' question; 'how' can we teach about, through, and for social justice (pedagogies) in PETE (in preparing pre-service teachers) and in school physical education? Reflecting on a number of papers as part of a Special Issue in Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, [Flory, S. B., and D. Landi. 2020. "Equity and Diversity in Health, Physical Activity, and Education: Connecting the Past, Mapping the Present, and Exploring the Future." Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy 25 (3): 213–224, 221] suggest the need to re-think and re-imagine physical education curriculum, practice and policy by making new connections and relationships between models-based practices and sociocultural theories. Guided by asking 'What is worth doing?' and 'Is it working?' [Hellison, D. 2011. Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility Through Physical Activity. 3rd ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics], we explore, re-conceptualise, and re-imagine the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) model as an approach to teach about, through, and for social justice (pedagogies). A Figure, consisting of three strands, was constructed to visualise the socially-just TPSR approach. As part of this, we have reconceptualised the TPSR levels to 'spaces'. As spaces, students can start in different (and multiple) spaces and move between spaces throughout the lesson. The first two strands of the Figure (social justice topic and the TPSR spaces) inform the pedagogical approaches (strand three) and the pedagogical approaches are underpinned by the teaching about (social justice topic – strand one) and through (TPSR spaces – strand two) social justice. The alignment of the three strands can therefore lead to meaningful, informed, and socially-just learning experiences. The need for social justice education is clear. And yet, teachers and teacher educators remain uncertain about how to implement social justice content and pedagogies into physical education contexts such as the field and gymnasium. Honouring Hellison's forty years of (re)developing the theory of TPSR based on what is learned in practice, we suggest this socially-just TPSR approach may open possibilities and potentialities in which educators (i.e. teacher educators, in-service teachers, and pre-service teachers) can learn to teach about, through and for social justice (pedagogies). We have used the litmus test of 'What is worth doing?' to guide us. We truly believe providing educators with a socially-just TPSR approach which may enhance the teaching about, through, and for social justice (pedagogies) is worth doing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and purposeTheoretical lensMethodFindings and discussionConclusion and further researchThere is a need for contemporary studies which establish a shared language to further analyze and develop pedagogies in the field of teacher education in physical education (PE). This includes both initial teacher education (PE-ITE) and continuous professional development (PE-CPD), holding the responsibility for preparing pre-service teachers (PSTs) and teacher educators, as well as facilitating the ongoing professional learning of in-service teachers (ISTs) and teacher educators. This study entails a comprehensive scoping review covering the period from 2015 to 2023, encompassing studies within the broad field of teacher education in PE across international contexts, all examined through the perspective of Shulman’s, L. S. (2005. “Signature Pedagogies in the Professions.” Daedalus 134 (3): 52–59) concept of signature pedagogies. The purpose was two-fold: (1): to map the current literature on teacher education in PE (including PE-ITE and PE-CPD for both ISTs and teacher educators), and (2) to propose a preliminary shared language of signature pedagogies of teacher education in PE.Signature pedagogies refer to the forms of teaching-learning that leap to mind when thinking about the preparation and ongoing learning and development of teachers (i.e. pre-service teachers, in-service teachers and teacher educators; Shulman, L. S. 2005. “Signature Pedagogies in the Professions.” Daedalus 134 (3): 52–59). Signature pedagogies are both pervasive and routine, cutting across topics and courses, programs, and institutions, and are described through three layers of structure – the surface, deep, and implicit.The research process was guided by a five-stage framework for conducting a scoping review. In line with the specific purposes articulated above, the research question guiding the review was: What is known from the literature on signature pedagogies of teacher education in PE? The search was restricted to articles published between 2015–2023. Both empirical and conceptual articles (i.e. those with data collection and those without) were included, provided the inclusion criteria were met. A total of 465 articles were included in the review, and the pedagogies identified from each article were co-constructed into themes/categories.Three signature pedagogies of teacher education in PE across international contexts are identified and presented in terms of their surface, deep and implicit structure, including: (auto)biographical pedagogies, experiential pedagogies, and pedagogies of professional learning. Subsequently, we explore the similarities and differences between each of the three groups of pedagogies and what makes a pedagogy of teacher education in PE distinct from a pedagogy of teacher education more broadly.This study offers a preliminary shared language of teacher education pedagogies in the field of PE and is intended to open a dialogue around preparing and supporting pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, and teacher educators in the context of PE. While this review represents an initial step in addressing a gap in the literature by exploring and articulating teacher education pedagogies in PE, there remains a need to analyse their use across teacher education contexts and to consider how this shared language might inform a more intentional practice of these pedagogies within and across teacher education contexts in ways that might ensure more authentic, transformative and equitable teacher education practices in PE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There remains some consensus that pre-service teacher education should be centered on the development of teachers' content knowledge, as it is considered to be essential for quality teaching and learning. The development of more effective forms of pedagogical content knowledge requires pre-service physical education teachers to analyse teaching and learning tasks within contextualized situations. The Joint Action in Didactics (JAD) framework provides a set of concepts that take into account the teacher, the students and the content knowledge at stake during learning tasks [Amade-Escot, C., and P. Venturini. 2015. "Joint Action in Didactics and Classroom Ecology: Comparing Theories Using a Case Study in Physical Education." Interchange 46: 413–437.]. The purpose of this study was to use the JAD framework to understand how a cohort of pre-service teachers (PTs) analyse the content knowledge embedded in teachers' and students' didactic interactions. An open-ended questionnaire was distributed to 46 PTs to collect their individual didactic analyses of a recorded game-based basketball teaching-learning task. PTs were asked to analyse the effective actions of the students and the teacher involved in the learning task, to interpret the actions of the students and the teacher in relation to the planned content knowledge and propose possible adjustments of the learning task to facilitate student learning. A content analysis of the PTs responses was performed using a systematic process of inductive analysis and constant comparison. PTs were able to identify the gap between what was planned and the actual actions of the teacher and students in a situated content learning task. They encountered some difficulties in capturing the complexity of the interactions between the teacher, students and the content knowledge at stake. Analyses mostly centered on the clarity and accountability of instructions provided by the teacher and failed to take into account the students' meanings or potential adjustments to the didactic milieu. The JAD framework provides PTs a potential lens to forefront contextualized content knowledge as a critical dimension in their analysis of the teaching-learning process. This level of analysis arguably provides a more robust platform for the development of more sophisticated and situated forms of teachers' pedagogical content knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundPurposeMethodFindingsDiscussionConclusionResearch in teacher education practice explicitly highlights how learning to teach teachers is a complex, messy, sophisticated process, filled with uncertainty and perpetual challenges. While this applies to all aspects of teacher education, we focus here on the process of learning to teach pre-service teachers (PSTs) how to teach about, through, and for social justice (pedagogies) by enacting the Socially-Just Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (SJ-TPSR) approach.This research was guided by the following research question: What are the realities of enacting a SJ-TPSR approach in physical education teacher education (PETE)?Utilising a collaborative self-study approach two physical education teacher educators, supported by two critical friends, enacted the SJ-TPSR approach in a 10-week outdoor and adventure activities module with pre-service generalist primary school teachers. Data included: critical friend meetings, pedagogical decision-making documents and interviews with the teacher educators and PSTs.The findings revolve around three categories: (i) Teaching about teaching and learning about teaching the SJ-TPSR approach; (ii) The importance of learning together; and (iii) A pedagogy of vulnerability needed? The findings demonstrated the need to take a gradual approach to teaching about teaching the SJ-TPSR approach and learning about teaching along with the SJ-TPSR approach. It was a daunting experience but reflection and sharing our thoughts mitigated most of these feelings. The importance of learning together was highlighted by both teacher educators. Co-constructing this new knowledge with the PSTs further supported this process. Finally, when enacting a new pedagogical approach, particularly in the area of social justice, required an additional pedagogical approach that of vulnerability.Our collaborative self-study on the enactment of the SJ-TPSR approach is an explicit example of reframing pedagogy and practice not only from a social change and social justice perspective, but about, through, and for social justice and change. We first reconceptualised the TPSR approach to the SJ-TPSR approach from a social justice perspective, but then examined our practice and developed practices that also support the teaching and learning about, through, and for social justice. The practices developed have implications for the enactment of the SJ-TPSR approach which hold possibilities for other innovative practices (e.g. layering), and also for self-study research, namely ways in which collaborative self-study can be conducted and in which self-study can work from a social change and social justice perspectiveWe trust that sharing our journey thus far will support others interested in enacting the SJ-TPSR approach, and that we, in turn, can learn from others enacting, examining, and articulating their experiences with the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundPurposeParticipants and SettingData collection and analysisResultsConclusionVarious student-centred teaching approaches have been promoted within physical education teacher education (PETE) courses for many years. However, building preservice teachers’ (PTs’) pedagogical skills for the effective implementation of these approaches beyond university and into their school practicum has been challenging for PE teacher educators. A recent study by Moy, Rossi, and Russell ([2023]. “Supporting PETE students to Implement an Alternative Pedagogy.” Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy 28 (2): 165–182.) investigated a practical university teaching experience widely suggested by researchers to overcome this challenge. The experience involved PTs working in small groups in collaboration with a pedagogical expert to explore the implementation of the student-centred constraints led approach (CLA) in an authentic but simplified physical education context. The authors found that the teaching experience was effective in supporting PT’s learning and implementation of the key principles of the alternative pedagogy. Whilst these results are encouraging, it was deemed critical to investigate the effectiveness of the university teaching experience in a transition to a more authentic teaching environment, namely the school practicum.The study sought to follow these same PTs and investigate how this learning gained through the university teaching experience influenced their teaching practice while on their subsequent school practicum.The study sample consisted of 36 of the 40 PTs who participated in the study by Moy, Rossi, and Russell ([2023]. “Supporting PETE students to Implement an Alternative Pedagogy.” Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy 28 (2): 165–182.). Participation involved undertaking a 4-week block of supervised practicum at an Australian secondary school, and then submitting an individual written reflection about the influence of the university teaching experience on their practicum teaching practice.To improve the trustworthiness of PTs’ accounts of their experiences, two qualitative sources, written reflections, and a semi-structured focus group interview, were used to collect data. Data from both sources were combined and analysed collectively using thematic analysis to identify repeated patterns of meaning within the data.According to PT’s accounts, the research-informed university teaching experience appears to have had a profound impact on their teaching practice on practicum. PTs recounted their ability to effectively design and deliver physical education learning environments that embedded the same pedagogical principles they learned to embed in their teaching practice at university. The main factors that facilitated this transfer were the design and delivery of the university teaching experience and a supportive school practicum environment.This study has provided evidence of a practical teaching experience that has the capacity to facilitate the transition of learning from university to the ‘real world’. This model has the potential to improve teaching quality not only in physical education but across all subject areas and importantly enhance student learning outcomes in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Purpose Methods Findings Conclusions Physical education is seen as a subject that can both entrench but also challenge inequities. Within Spain, there is legislation requiring educators to teach about gender equity in schools across all subjects. Given this, topics around gender (and equity more broadly) are being taught in some Spanish Physical Education-Sport Tertiary Education (PESTE) programmes.The purpose of this paper is to explore university students’ experiences of engaging with a critical intersectional feminist pedagogy unit in a Spanish PESTE programme.This paper represents one participatory action research study that is part of a larger research project exploring equity in physical education. The authors use qualitative data generation methods (including interviews, evaluations, field notes, and others) as well as data analysis (narrative analysis, descriptive coding, concept coding) to develop the findings.The findings examine two teaching moments from the unit that students resonated with the most. In so doing, the authors examine the specific factors that the students discussed the most as affecting the way they think about equity in health, physical activity, and education.The authors conclude by arguing that critical approaches to physical education that draw on embodied pedagogies and emplaced criticality have the ability to make ripples of change that can help raise issues of equity amongst future physical education professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a global consensus that stimulating and fostering children's creativity in education is crucial. Addressing creativity has become an imperative in educational policies and in school curricula internationally. School-based physical education (PE), and specifically the teaching area of dance, has been identified as an important pedagogical setting within which to develop creativity. Existing studies have suggested, however, that dance is seldom taught in PE in ways that acknowledge creative aspects of movement learning. Scholars have claimed that teaching pre-arranged dances with predetermined movement outcomes dominate dance teaching in PE. Furthermore, studies have asserted that the overarching regulative principles of PE and PETE that privilege sport skills and physical exercise hinder creative movement learning. Still, dance teaching is frequently seen as part of expressive dance teaching in PE and PETE and is regarded as holding potential in the area of education for creativity. Little scholarly attention has been given to how teacher educators approach creative aspects in dance teaching. This article aims to create insights into how PETE teacher educators understand and work with creative aspects of dance in their educational practice. To address our aim, we investigate how teacher educators describe their teaching of creative aspects of dance. To do this, empirical material was generated through qualitative interviews with PE teacher educators from each of the PETE institutions in Sweden. The theoretical concepts of smooth and striated spaces and experimentation by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari were used to guide the analysis of how the PETE educators described their teaching of creative aspects of dance. Deleuze and Guattari developed a framework that concerned questions of creativity and newness. Despite this conceptual framework having not yet been used in dance education in PE and PETE, their writing fits well when analysing questions of creativity in an educational context. We identified three major themes relating to creativity in the empirical material: (a) creative aspects of expressive dance; (b) challenges that teacher educators face when introducing movement exploration in expressive dance to their students, and; (c) the teacher educators' pedagogical work with students. The results of this study show that teaching expressive dance can take teaching in PE and PETE in new directions. The results provide insights into alternative ways of teaching in these educational settings that can counter the dominant ways of teaching dance. Results suggest that teacher educators operate in various striated spaces that are shaped by expectations and conventions. In such spaces, the educators aim to create momentary passages of smoothening that open up for experimentation and the development of students' creativity. The results also suggest that expressive dance in PE and PETE emphasizes creative movement learning through which students learn to operate within new and unpredictable situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we will address the question of how physical education teacher education (PETE) matters and suggest one way to explore the potential impact of PETE. A distinguishing feature of the studies of PETE's impact on physical education is that they either include perspectives from preservice teachers involved in PETE courses or perspectives from physical education teachers in schools looking back at their education. Longitudinal attempts to follow preservice teachers' journey from education to workplace, in order to grasp how they perceive the relation between teacher education and teaching practice in schools, and the transition between these contexts, are few and far between. This gap of knowledge is a missing piece of the puzzle to further develop PETE, and to inform life-long professional development for teachers. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, we develop and present a methodological approach for investigating the transition of content areas from courses in PETE into teaching practice in school physical education. Second, we will illustrate the potential utility of this methodological approach in longitudinal studies by showing how one particular content area, Assessment for Learning (AfL), was investigated through the use of methods and theories described in the first part of this paper. The suggested longitudinal approach involves Stimulated Recall (SR) interviews with pre- and inservice teachers, observations and communication with groups of students and teachers through social media. The construction, recontextualisation and realisation of pedagogic discourses regarding content areas are suggested to be analysed through a combination of Bernstein's concept of the pedagogic device and Ball's concept of fabrication. The longitudinal design and the suggested methodology can provide answers to how content areas are transformed in and between PETE and school physical education. A combination of the theoretical perspectives of Bernstein and Ball enables us to say something not only about how pedagogic discourses regarding content areas are constructed, recontextualised and realised in PETE and school physical education, but also about what content areas become in terms of fabrications in the transition between these contexts. To conclude, we argue that the methodological research design can be used to explore different content areas in PETE and that this methodology can contribute to knowledge about how PETE matters for school physical education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the value dance can bring to people's lives, many physical educators find dance intimidating (Goodwin [2010]. "Dance is Not a Dirty Word." Strategies 24 (1): 10–12.). Teachers' self-consciousness becomes problematic if they negotiate this discomfort by omitting dance as a movement option (MacLean [2018]. "Teachers as Agents of Change in Curricular Reform: The Position of Dance Revisited." Sport, Education and Society 23 (6): 563–577.). Given the relationship many physical educators have with dance, teacher educators need to be proactive in how they teach dance content. While many preservice teachers enter programs of study with sport proficiencies, they do not necessarily come with that same level of ability in dance (Rovegno and Bandhauer [2017]. Elementary Physical Education: Curriculum and Instruction. 2nd ed. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.). While teaching dance can glean from studies of pedagogical strategies employed in sports-related content, we cannot rely on such generalizations because of preservice teachers' embodied discomfort associated with dance (Rovegno [1992]. "Learning a New Curricular Approach: Mechanisms of Knowledge Acquisition in Preservice Teachers." Teaching and Teacher Education 8 (3): 253–264.). Purpose: This study was designed to listen to preservice teachers and respond with them to help understand and negotiate their barriers to dance. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to examine the use of an Activist Approach (Oliver and Kirk [2015]. Girls, Gender, and Physical Education: An Activist Approach. New York: Routledge.) to teaching a dance content course for physical education preservice teachers. This participatory action research project worked with participants to take 'action on their own behalf as part of their own communities' (Merriam and Tisdell [2016]. Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation, 58. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.). This study occurred in a required dance content course at a United States southwestern university, meeting twice weekly for 50-minutes for 16 weeks from August-December 2019. The Activist Approach to teaching through the lens of Student-Centred Inquiry as Curriculum was used for data collection. Data sources included participant artifacts, focus groups, individual interviews, video recording, researcher journal, and peer debriefing. Data analysis was three-fold. Level one was ongoing for implementation in the course. Level two occurred after the completion of the course. The researchers then discussed together what they noted, which prompted level three to look for connections and motifs that recurred to crystallize the data. We discuss two themes: (1) understanding and negotiating student tensions associated with discomfort in dance and (2) students' willingness to take risks in dance despite discomfort. We discuss our findings in relation to risks preservice teachers were willing to take despite their embodied discomfort. Using the Activist Approach as a framework helped structure a class that allowed preservice teachers to take risks to try new things and experiment beyond their comfort zones. By explicitly helping them identify and negotiate the discomfort to move through it, we offered the preservice teachers a process that will help them move forward so that they can teach kids whether sports, fitness, or dance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Purpose Method Findings Conclusion There is continual support for teacher educators to play a more significant role in equipping teachers with the skills necessary to undertake practitioner research (Ellis, N., and T. Loughland. 2016. “The Challenges of Practitioner Research: A Comparative Study of Singapore and NSW.” The Australian Journal of Teacher Education 41 (2): 122–136). However, there is noticeably less literature reporting the means through which pre-service teachers (PSTs) are introduced, and provided the opportunity, to experience practitioner research with a view to becoming practitioner researchers once they become qualified teachers.The focus for this paper is on considering the perceptions to which a chosen enactment of practitioner research in a Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) programme prepares PSTs to understand, appreciate and experience practitioner research. The paper shares how one specific PETE practitioner-research module scaffolds learning and associated assessment tasks that align with PSTs’ school placement block.Four focus groups (17 PSTs) were conducted to capture the PSTs’ understanding, appreciation, and experience of practitioner research.The findings highlighted how the module had extended PSTs’ understanding of research through the process of accessing, interpreting, and seeking assistance with conducting research. The pedagogical practices employed allowed PSTs to understand research, how research informs practice and, in turn, the expected role of the practitioner researcher. Challenges identified by the PSTs included: (i) a lack of time outside of the module to further engage with practitioner research; (ii) accessing relevant research; and (iii) readability of some research. Interestingly, the PSTs shared some hesitancy in the feasibility of enacting a strong practitioner researcher persona when the time came for them to enter teaching as qualified beginning teachers.This paper highlights one-way PSTs can be encouraged and supported to apply research to their work as teachers and immediately in the planning priorities for school placement. Such an infrastructure supports the importance of integrating research and teaching, with PSTs provided a daily opportunity throughout the school placement block to understand, change and improve their practice in a principled and informed way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Effective teaching should demonstrate a match between what learners are intended to know and be able to do, the opportunities they receive to learn and practice, and how we assess for learning. In turn, this promotes more worthwhile and meaningful learning. The purpose of this paper is to add to the limited examples of practices that directly connect with the coherent alignment of learning outcomes, assessment and instructional practices in physical education teacher education (PETE) programmes. We do this by introducing instructional alignment as a practically plausible way in which to exemplify the coherent planning of learning outcomes, assessment and instruction. Methods: Using the backward design process to design aligned learning opportunities, three examples of how instructional alignment can be embedded in PETE modules are shared. These examples are drawn from our own practice in teacher education and have been implemented within our various teacher education programmes to assist pre-service teachers in the design of instructionally aligned lessons. Results and discussion: While we encourage using the backward design process to design aligned learning opportunities, the decisions made may be substantially different depending on the context and the learners. While each of the examples demonstrate instructional alignment, and are dependent on the context and the learners, three nuances within each are discussed – alignment should support learning progression, clarity of success criteria and enhancing learning by embedding assessment into the learning experience/activity. Conclusion: Effectively embedding instructional alignment in PETE includes (i) buy-in from all programme faculty as to their understanding, and enactment, of instructional alignment as a central pillar of the module/programme, (ii) modelling good practice in supporting and delivering instructional alignment with pre-service teachers and (iii) encouraging pre-service teachers to embed instructional alignment in their planning, preparation and practices as beginning teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1982 many student-centred physical education teaching approaches have been proposed as viable alternatives to the traditional teacher-centred methodology. However, research indicates that their uptake by physical education practitioners has been limited. This is concerning, particularly given the prominence of alternative approaches within many PETE courses worldwide. For PETE students, implementing an alternative teaching approach on their school professional experience has proven to be very challenging, particularly due to a lack of knowledge and understanding of the pedagogical principles of the alternative approach and its underpinning learning theory. To address this deficiency researchers have suggested that PETE programmes provide students with an authentic and supportive teaching experience that bridges the gap between university peer teaching experiences and the unpredictable school professional experience. One widely suggested approach is to provide preservice teachers with an opportunity to work together in small groups in collaboration with a pedagogical expert to explore the implementation of an alternative pedagogy with school children in an authentic physical education context. The study sought to investigate how effectively this proposed authentic and supportive teaching experience facilitates PETE students' knowledge and understanding of the pedagogical principles of an alternative pedagogy as well as its underpinning learning theoretical constructs. The participants for this study were 40 fourth year undergraduate PETE students undertaking a compulsory physical education pedagogy unit at an Australian university. The unit involved PETE students exploring the implementation of the constraints-led approach (CLA) with cohorts of children from a local school and reflecting upon their experiences and observations in terms of its key pedagogical principles and associated motor learning concepts. To develop their understanding of the CLA, a collaborative professional development model was adopted that allowed groups of teachers to work together in collaboration with a pedagogical expert in a community of practice. To provide an accurate account of PETE students' experiences, two qualitative sources, written reflections and semi-structured focus group interviews, were used to collect data. Data from both sources were combined and analysed collectively using thematic analysis to identify repeated patterns of meaning within the data. The authentic and supportive teaching environment, based on a collaborative professional development model, allowed PETE students to develop a thorough knowledge and understanding of the CLA pedagogical principles of representative learning design, task simplification, and constraints manipulation, and the motor learning theory that informs them. This knowledge and understanding enabled PETE students to successfully design and implement learning experiences that authentically represented the CLA, and which were successful in developing school students' technical and tactical ability for transfer to the performance environment. This research study has provided robust evidence of the effectiveness of an authentic and collaborative professional development model on enhancing the quality of PETE students' teaching and subsequent student learning. This model could be used to inform the design and delivery of preservice and in-service professional development programmes aimed at improving teaching quality. The findings have enormous potential for enhancing student learning outcomes in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With teachers in high-poverty schools facing increased stress, decreased motivation, and job satisfaction, it is imperative to identify educators that can thrive and sustain over time and intend to remain teaching in high-poverty schools despite these concerns. Identifying individual characteristics of teacher sustainability related to one's intention to remain teaching can help offset teacher attrition and turnover through intervention and support of teachers. This study explored the constructs of teaching sustainability (psychological flexibility (PF), resilience (tRES), and sense of purpose (SOP)) as they relate to a group of physical education teachers working in high-poverty schools. This study utilized an interpretivist philosophy. The interviewees volunteered after completing a national survey (N = 538) of PE teachers related to teacher sustainability. Randomly selected teachers (n = 26) participated in semi-structured interviews exploring their perceptions, definitions, and significance of teaching sustainability in high-poverty schools. Results from the inductive thematic analysis produced three general dimensions related to teaching sustainability in high-poverty schools: sustaining through career frustrations, awareness and acceptance, and values-driven behavior. Although external factors such as financial discrepancies were real stressors in these teacher's lives that led to many questioning whether to leave or stay in the profession, the ability to regulate emotions while maintaining a strong internalized meaning and purpose may have helped their efficient management of stressors and sustainability in high-poverty schools over time. Although this study provides insight into teaching sustainability in high-poverty schools, much is still unknown. The teachers possessed strong individual dispositions that facilitated elevated levels of PF, tRES, and SOP. School administrators in high-poverty schools must establish a strong culture of support to facilitate the teacher sustainability constructs and intentionally recruit teachers with the capacity for possessing strong teacher sustainability dispositions. Identifying ways to increase the constructs of teacher sustainability of physical education teachers can decrease the concerns surrounding teacher attrition and increase job satisfaction for teachers working in high-poverty schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well-established that traditional approaches to initial teacher education do not adequately prepare physical education (PE) teachers for teaching pupils with disabilities. Consequently, pupils with disabilities participate less frequently and in fewer PE activities than their age peers. School-based placements, which form a cornerstone of the professional socialisation phase of teacher education, can help to prepare prospective and pre-service teachers for the demands of working in educational settings. We should not assume, though, that placing prospective or pre-service PE teachers in a school impacts positively on learning about inclusive pedagogies and, consequently, the educational experiences of pupils with disabilities. We used a special school placement and created opportunities for students to critically reflect on situated learning experiences to challenge normative perceptions of pedagogy and facilitate their learning about more inclusive approaches to teaching and learning. Specifically, we explore the influence of a special school placement on prospective PE teachers' learning about inclusive pedagogies. Twenty-six first year undergraduate students, all of whom aspired to become PE teachers, participated in focus group interviews and were selected because they had attended a placement in a special school. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. The findings were underpinned by situated learning theory and suggested, for the first time in research terms, that through a special school placement prospective PE teachers learned about: adapting activities; breaking activities into smaller, more manageable parts; demonstrating activities; pacing the delivery of activities; when to repeat activities; non-verbal communication; and managing disruptive behaviours. We conclude by arguing that this pedagogical learning will contribute to preparing our participants for teacher education programmes and a career teaching PE, given that it aligns with the criteria used to judge the performance of pre- and in-service teachers in England (see Department for Education (DfE). 2011. Teachers' Standards. London: DfE. ). Thus, we advocate for such placements to become a more frequent feature of the learning experiences of prospective and pre-service teachers. However, we do question and therefore call for future research that explores the longer-term influence and transferability of what is learned during special school placements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on movement capability in physical education. Topics include claims making about movement capability in physical education scholarship; school subject comprising the repetition of short introductory lessons in a wide range of activities; and expressing concerns about the amount of time devoted to movement capability in physical education teacher education (PETE) programmes.

Background: Physical education (PE) can be considered the centrepiece of school physical literacy (PL) programs, but ineffective lessons or an absence of PE across the public primary school system has raised concern. This study aimed to evaluate the implementation, acceptability and impact of teacher delivery of PE as part of a multicomponent Physical Education Physical Literacy (PEPL) approach, designed to improve classroom teachers' provision of PE and PL opportunities within a cluster of suburban primary schools. Method: Within a pragmatic randomised cluster-based trial with mixed methods, a PEPL coach was appointed to seven schools for one school year, with another seven schools continuing their usual practice as the control group. The coach's role was to support and professionally develop classroom teachers to teach PE and to create opportunities that develop PL inside and outside the school environment. Focusing on Grade 5 teachers, the implementation, acceptability and teacher impact were assessed using direct observations of PE teaching style, a daily log kept by the coach and interviews with principals and teachers. Results: The PEPL coach visited each school on average once a week for the 33 available weeks of the school year. There were several positive effects for teachers and schools. With no classroom teacher initially taking PE or classroom physical activity breaks, all seven teachers regularly introduced a PE lesson and activity breaks into their weekly schedule. PE class instructional time increased (intervention; +4.8 vs. control; −3.5 min/lesson; β = 1.69; SE = 0.76; p =.05), with lessons of greater duration (intervention; +8.6 vs. control +1.9 min/lesson; β = 1.14, SE = 0.58, p =.05) and moderate and vigorous physical activity increased 5.7 min in intervention classes (p <.05). The PEPL coach introduced regular physical activities before and after school and linked the schools with a national sports coaching scheme. Interviews indicated that the PEPL approach was both valued and well-accepted by staff, that classroom teacher confidence to teach PE increased and that principals perceived a shift toward a school 'culture' of physical activity. Conclusions: Well-received by classroom teachers and principals, the PEPL approach resulted in classroom teachers introducing both PE and activity breaks into their weekly teaching program and schools were linked to external sport coaching programs. These effects suggest that the PEPL approach enhanced opportunities for the development of physical literacy in this suburban primary school setting. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry identifier: ACTRN12615000066583. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of physical education (PE) is to increase student confidence, competence, and motivation to lead physically active lifestyles. Research has shown that physical education teacher education (PETE) students tend to be sexist, elitist and unsympathetic towards social issues. Currently, a gap in culturally responsive and socially just forms of PE that bring attention to racism, colonialism, sexism, heteronormativity, and other social issues requires greater acknowledgement from researchers. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to (1) better understand how PETE students might be engaged to take on a critical agenda that would increase their willingness to teach in culturally responsive ways, and (2) engage in more socially just forms of PE. METHODS: Using autobiographical narrative inquiry, three students confront and explain their reactions to dominant discourses that have shaped their identities and think critically about how their own experiences may be different than the students who will be in their future classes. The study uses narrative inquiry methodology to engage with the individual and shared experiences of participants. Drawing on three preservice teachers' narratives, the author illustrates how a different starting point in teacher education may enrich and shape beginning PE teachers' capacity to teach in socially just ways. RESULTS: The participant accounts challenge the work of those critics who have long assumed that critical pedagogies are most appropriate for teaching preservice teachers about matters of social justice. The finding that these preservice teachers are capable of understanding and engaging in social justice issues despite social privilege should be of interest to teacher educators because it constitutes a call for change. CONCLUSION: This method of inquiry allows for the examination of tensions and shifting identities that are lived by preservice teachers impacting their conceptions of teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The shifting demographics of the United States population remains a central challenge for the education sector. A pressing concern rests with the continued cultural gap that exists between a largely homogenous teacher labor force and an increasingly heterogeneous student population. Provided the longstanding existence of a cultural gap, there have been calls for scholars to identify strategies that could help current and future teachers bridge this gap in their classrooms. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to generate consensus regarding the strategies physical education teacher education (PETE) programs can adopt to develop cultural competence among physical education teacher candidates. Method: The study employed a three-round Delphi process involving the repeated circulation of a survey to panel members (N = 12) with a record of pedagogic and/or scholarly engagement with cultural competence. In Round-I, participants were provided an open-ended question that prompted them to list up to ten strategies a PETE program could use to promote cultural competence in teacher candidates. During Round-II, participants were then asked to rate the list of strategies regarding the impact and contextual feasibility within a PETE program. In Round-III, participants again rated the same list of strategies with the considerations of other panelists' ratings. Results: The Delphi panel created an initial list of 37 strategies that could be used to develop cultural competence in teacher candidates. Round-II and Round-III data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to calculate group means. Expert consensus determined eight cultural competence strategies as the most impactful and feasible for PETE programs. The eight strategies illustrated how cultural knowledge, critical awareness, skill development, and environmental supports all need to be addressed. Faculty buy-in and departmental leadership were also identified as critical to executing those strategies. Discussion/Conclusion: The list of strategies is not intended to be exhaustive; however, it does provide a guide for PETE faculty to start the process of promoting cultural competence. In light of the growing societal emphasis on issues pertinent to the cultural gap in teaching, the authors encourage further investigation of the actual impact and feasibility of these strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent studies have found the effects of improvements in teachers' content knowledge (CK) on enacted pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and student learning outcomes. However, there is little research exploring the relationship between PCK and student learning in an individual fundamental motor skill-based elementary physical education setting. Purpose: The primary focus of this study was to examine the influence of teacher content knowledge (i.e. CCK and SCK) and teacher's knowledge of student's developmental stages on enacted PCK in the context of a physical education class. A secondary aim of this study was to examine the influence of teachers' instruction (enacted PCK) of a four-day throwing unit on a student's throwing performance. Participants and setting: Two physical education (PE) teachers were randomly selected from two public, suburban, mid-sized elementary schools in a southwestern city. A total of 122 (Mage = 7.42; SD = 0.49) first (n = 70, 36 girls and 34 boys) and second-grade (n = 52, 29 girls and 23 boys) student participants from mid-sized elementary schools in a southwestern city in the United States participated in this study. Data Collection: A within-subjects design was utilized to examine the changes of the teachers' PCK prior to and following a professional development workshop and their students' throwing performance. Each of the two elementary PE teachers had six 1st grade and six 2nd grade classes. From the list of six classes taught by the individual teacher, two classes were randomly assigned to either a comparison condition (one 1st grade and one 2nd grade; n = 61, 34 girls and 27 boys) and an experimental condition (one 1st grade and one 2nd grade; n = 61, 34 girls and 27 boys) groups. Data Analysis: There were three phases to this study. The first involved implementation of the comparison condition; in the second, a professional development workshop was delivered to the teachers; lastly, the experimental condition was assigned. The four PCK variables measured were, for teachers, (1) task representation, (2) task demonstration, (3) feedback, and (4) task modification alignment and, for students, throwing performance (ball velocity). Descriptive statistics (i.e. means and frequencies) were used to analyze teaching behaviors, and an independent samples t-test based on the highest ball velocity score was used to examine the influence of the teachers' PCK on students' learning of overhand throwing. Cohen's d (1988) was utilized to report effect sizes of teachers' PCK. Results: Teachers' PCK changed as a function of their CK and knowledge of students, with effect sizes ranging from 1.49–7.23. Furthermore, improvement in the teachers' PCK was associated with students' improved throwing performance (p =.000). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that teachers' PCK behaviors can be changed by increasing their CK and knowledge of their students and that this improvement in PCK can result in better student learning outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In this conceptual paper, we contribute to the discussion of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in physical education and physical education teacher education (PETE). There are two main limitations in the work inspired by Shulman's [1987. "Knowledge and Teaching: Foundations of the New Reform." Harvard Educational Review 57 (1): 1–21] concepts content knowledge (CK) and PCK. First, CK is exclusively interpreted as knowledge in and about movement, and excludes knowledge through movement. Second, contemporary understandings of CK and PCK have been mainly from a behaviour analytic perspective. By only adopting a behavioural perspective of CK, i.e. a perspective which aims to change students' behaviours without necessarily changing knowledge or understanding, pre-service teachers are unlikely to reflect on context and culture or how these affect the students with whom they will work. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to add a new perspective to the contemporary discussion of PCK in physical education and PETE through elaborating on how PCK could be conceptualised 'phronetically'. We believe that contextual and situational foci of a phronetic approach constitute an important dimension of teacher knowledge, and that this dimension is not captured or made visible by behaviour analytic discourse of PCK in movement cultures. Method: For the conceptual task of expanding our understanding of PCK, we have been inspired by Thomas [2007. Education and Theory: Strangers in Paradigms. Berkshire: McGraw Hill], Shoemaker, Tankard, and Lasorsa [2004. How to Build Social Science Theories. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage], and Whetten [1989. "What Constitutes a Theoretical Contribution?" Journal Academy of Management Review 14 (4): 490–495] and their ideas of building theory through borrowing, reflective thinking, and metaphors. Results: We outline four major assumptions made about PCK in the behaviour analytic research on physical education and PETE: 1. Physical education teachers must know how to perform activities with the correct technique, know the tactics and have knowledge about rules and etiquette; 2. Physical education teachers must know how to detect errors and design task progressions. 3. Physical education teachers must know how to select and modify appropriate tasks as well as give feedback. 4. Physical education teachers' level of CK and PCK can be quantitatively measured. Conclusions: From a phronetic perspective, we suggest that PCK could also involve: contextual characteristics for 'new' and integrative movement cultures; interpretation of students' actions; identification and action on diversity during physical education teaching; development of a sensitivity for morally 'right' actions; and management of uncertainty involved in physical education teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A critical race theory of education has a been a popular framework for understanding racial inequities teaching and teacher education. Furthermore, it has served as the foundation for critical race research methodologies and critical race pedagogy, which are meant to address racial inequity via research and teaching, respectively. With regard to critical race pedagogy, there has been no specific conceptualization for the preparation of physical educators. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a critical race pedagogy of physical education teacher education (PETE). Key Concepts: In the paper, critical race theory and critical race pedagogy are highlighted as the conceptual roots of a critical race pedagogy of PETE. In doing so it offers a critique of resource pedagogies and their conceptualization in PETE. Critical race theory has been described as a scholarly movement that seeks to uncover and dismantle systemic racism while rejecting incrementalism. Critical race pedagogy is an approach to teaching that is informed by critical race theory and womanism. A critical race pedagogy of PETE builds upon previous conceptualization of critical race pedagogy by offering the (a) recognition context; (b) the value of Black self-reliance; (c) and the value of the Black body as its foundations. Discussion and Conclusion: A critical race pedagogy of PETE adheres to a post-White orientation. As such, this approach to teaching recognizes that Black physical education involves Black people and Black places without subordinating or comparing them to White people and White places. It is also a challenge for Black scholars and teacher educators within PETE to focus their attentions, intentions, and efforts to the sustaining of Black educational institutions and the training of Black physical educators for Black communities. Thus, I acknowledge context within the post-White orientation allowing for an appropriate reorienting of a critical race pedagogy of PETE to meet the needs racially minoritized communities globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As schools become more diverse, preservice physical educators remain predominantly White from middle class backgrounds. There is a need to provide future teachers with cultural awareness and social justice training. The culturally relevant physical education framework provides three steps to follow, the tenets of which align with the teaching personal and social responsibility model. Occupational socialization theory is a useful lens for understanding preservice teachers' receptivity to new pedagogical practices based on their initial socialization into the field of physical education. Purpose: To understand the ways in which socialization experiences influenced the development of culturally relevant physical education through the teaching personal and social responsibility model while teaching in an afterschool program in a high-poverty school. Data collection and analysis: A phenomenological case study approach was utilized with twelve preservice physical education teachers (eight males, four females) serving as participants. The study occurred over the span of two semesters within methods courses and associated early field experiences. Data sources included critical incident reflections, weekly online journal responses, writing assignments, field notes, systematic observations and reflections, and semi-structured interviews. Inductive and deductive analysis occurred with constant comparison across each data source throughout open and axial coding and theme development. Findings: Qualitative data analysis resulted in the construction of three themes: (a) getting to know the public, (b) the acknowledgement of cultural distance, and (c) bridging the gap. Preservice teachers struggled initially, feeling uncomfortable in the new setting and placing blame on the students. Over time, they progressed towards getting to know more about the student's daily experiences and home lives. Ultimately, they developed relationships and value for their students and a deeper understanding of how they may be able to alter their teaching to meet their students' needs. Discussion: The themes were well aligned with the steps of culturally relevant physical education. Further, the preservice teachers made consistent reference to the teaching personal and social responsibility model as a guide in the process of reformulating their subjective theories of physical education to meet student needs. Physical education teacher education programs should consider incorporating both the culturally relevant physical education and the teaching personal and social responsibility model into their development as they promote understanding of and connections with their students. Further research should be conducted to understand how preservice teachers may further their depth of knowledge and connection to their students' lives outside of the school setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Several studies demonstrate the benefits of socially critical work in physical education and sport which value the importance of taking action intended for democracy, empowerment and critical reflection [Devis-devis, Jose. 2006. "Socially Critical Research Perspectives in Physical Education." In The Handbook of Physical Education, edited by David Kirk, Doune MacDavid, and Mary O'Sullivan, Vol. 9, 37–58. London: Sage]. An 'ethic of care' has been proposed as a moral basis for socio-critical work, describing caring or love as being the basis for pedagogic dialogue and commitment to young people [Rovegno, Inez, and David Kirk. 1995. "Articulations and Silences in Socially Critical Work on Physical Education: Toward a Broader Agenda." Quest (Grand Rapids, Mich) 47 (4): 447–474]. Although we have a body of research on socially critical pedagogy in physical education and sport that highlights the importance of an ethic of care (e.g. Ennis, Catherine D. 1999. "Creating a Culturally Relevant Curriculum for Disengaged Girls." Sport, Education and Society 4: 31–49; Hellison, Don. 1978. Beyond Balls and Bats. Washington: American Alliance for Health Physical], there is little research that aims to explore teachers' and youth's experiences in living this kind of pedagogy. Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore both pre-service teachers' and youth's experiences of an activist sport pedagogical model for working with youth from socially vulnerable backgrounds and to interrogate the way in which a pedagogy of love emerged. Participants and settings: Participatory action research framed this 3-semester study (18 months). Participants included 10 pre-service-teachers (PSTs), 90 youths and a researcher (the lead author). Data collection/analysis: Data collected included: (a) lead researcher observations collected as field notes; (b) collaborative PSTs group meetings; (c) PSTs' reflective diaries after each teaching episode; (d) PSTs and youth generated artefacts; and (e) PSTs and youth focus groups and interviews. Data analysis involved induction and constant comparison. Findings: A pedagogy of love emerged when we implemented the activist sport pedagogical model across three semesters in a socially vulnerable context with pre-service teachers and youth. First, a pedagogy of love involved repeatedly challenging inequities. Second, it valued solidarity thereby cultivating a learning community. Finally, it fostered hope and imagination in all participants in order to persevere despite barriers. Implications: We suggest that the activist sport approach could be considered a holistic approach in which teacher/coach and youth interact affectively [Hellison, Don. 1978. Beyond Balls and Bats. Washington: American Alliance for Health Physical] and showed profound commitment to humanity, conscientization and pedagogic dialogue [Freire, Paulo. 2005. Teachers as Cultural Workers: Letters to Those Who Dare Teach. Boulder, CO: Westview Press]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Teachers' visions are vivid and concrete images of ideal classroom practices. A vision for teaching is important to both practices in the classroom as well as teacher development across time. A useful tool to explore and analyse the role of vision in teacher practices is provided by [Hammerness, K. 2003. "Learning to Hope, or Hoping to Learn? The Role of Vision in the Early Professional Lives of Teachers." Journal of Teacher Education 54 (1): 43–56], whose framework of vision consists of three dimensions: focus, range and distance. Purpose: The writing of [Kretchmar, R. S. 2000. "Moving and Being Moved: Implications for Practice." Quest 52 (3): 260–272; 2008. "The Increasing Utility of Elementary School Physical Education: A Mixed Blessing and Unique Challenge." The Elementary School Journal 108 (3): 161–170] provides the basis for a vision focused on meaningful experiences in physical education. The purpose of this paper is to describe the ways a vision based on meaningful experiences enabled two teachers and three teacher educators to name, describe, and enact their physical education teaching and teacher education practices. Methodology: Raw data from six separate self-studies of practice involving the five participants provided the starting point for this research. Data sources, including written reflections and critical friend responses as well as audio recordings of conversations with critical friends, were mined to identify examples where vision was represented. Further data were generated in a focus group where participants shared and analysed their experiences and discussed how meaningful physical education served as both an individual and collective vision for practice. A final written reflection allowed participants to articulate their current vision for meaningful physical education. A thematic analysis of all data sources supported the organisation of data into three distinct phases of development of practices with emphasis on the role of vision in each phase. Findings: Over time, there was an evolution in our understanding of both what meaningful physical education consisted of and how we might facilitate meaningful experiences for children. In particular, our visions became clearer and better aligned with our practices. We illustrate how we developed our practice in ways that allowed us to take ownership of this vision, and, in the process, changed who we were as teachers and teacher educators. Finally, we share how the process of exploring and analysing our individual visions allowed us to articulate a shared vision of meaningful physical education and explain how to go about implementing our collective vision in practice. Conclusion: We highlight the value of paying attention to the role of vision in promoting and supporting educators, individually and collectively, in developing and sustaining innovation in teaching and teacher education practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Acknowledging that it is critical that researchers design and implement studies that examine teaching as a complex phenomenon (Strom and Martin [2017]. Becoming-teacher: A Rhizomatic Look at First-year Teaching. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers), the objective of this study was to examine pre-service teachers' (PSTs') experience of teaching a specific content (i.e. Sport Education) in various school contexts (i.e. diverse PSTs, contexts, students, and the SE model). Using the rhizomatic (Deleuze and Guattari [1987]. A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press) concept of assemblage, this study was guided by the question, 'How do PSTs negotiate their Sport Education physical education teacher education learning experience during school placement?' Research setting and participants: Grounded in post-qualitative methodology, this study involved twenty-one PSTs undertaking their school placement as part of a three-year physical education teacher education (PETE) programme in Norway. School placement was composed of two three-week periods in upper secondary school in which the PSTs taught SE to the same class each week. The PSTs participated in a university SE-PETE unit prior to school placement. Data collection and analysis: Three focus group interviews were conducted with three PST groups: (i) end of the SE-PETE unit and prior to school placement; (ii) between school placement blocks; and, (iii) end of school placement. Also, PST coursework was collected on completion of the PETE unit (completed in groups) and on completion of school placement (individual coursework). The nonlinear analysis process included data walking, rhizomatic mapping, situational analysis, and memo writing. Findings and discussion: This study highlighted how particular characteristics of various human and non-human elements (that is, the PSTs themselves, their contexts, their students, the features of SE) influenced and shaped PSTs' teaching and learning. Recognizing that it is not possible to be true to the myriad of elements influencing each PST, we provide a detailed consideration of two selected PSTs and show how interactions between human and non-human elements created two different teaching practices and learning experiences. We discuss the concept of assemblage in relation to the findings and introduce the notion of 'translating'. In 'translating', as highlighted by the PSTs in this study, PSTs make sense of their PETE learning within a specific setting and a set of circumstances. Conclusion: We contend that non-linear conceptual and methodologic frameworks, such as those featured in this study, can assist the PETE community to push beyond linear and simple ways of studying practice and instead encourage more complex conceptualizations of teaching and learning. Hence, we advocate for an ontological turn (Lather and St. Pierre [2013]. "Post-qualitative Research." International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education 26 (6): 629–633) in PETE research that focuses on the processes of teaching and learning rather than the outcomes alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: One of the key questions of physical education teacher educators (PETE) programmes refers to whether future teachers are prepared to build knowledge and skills to feel self-efficacious in teaching physical education (PE). This issue concerns the instructional model of teaching used to help PE pre-service teachers to master both pedagogical knowledge and motor skills. According to this twofold challenge, the direct instruction (DI) is mainly used for pre-service teacher training. Beyond this traditional model, other instructional models as cooperative learning (CL) approach arise in the initial PE teacher education. Nevertheless, surrounding attempts at innovation, little information related to the instructor's role. Under the social cognitive perspective of self-efficacy and instructional competency building, more information is currently expected with regard to the strategies the instructor uses to scaffold the mastery of skills for PE pre-service teachers' effective teaching. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to consider whether PE pre-service teachers are trained during short training sessions aimed to discover new physical activities. We examine the influence of a scaffolding procedure (CLS design) on PE pre-service teachers' knowledge, skills and self-efficacy in comparison to a CL and a DI experience. This leads to consider to what extent this instructional support provided by the instructor would help pre-service teachers to perceive themselves as self-efficacious to teach contents in PE. Participants and design: After a pre-test, sixty-nine PE pre-service teachers were randomly assigned to one of the three following conditions: CL (14 males and 7 females); CLS (20 males and 8 females) or direct instruction condition (DI; 12 males and 8 females). For the training session a selected CL procedure (Jigsaw) [Aronson, Elliot, and Shelley Patnoe. 1997. The Jigsaw Classroom: Building Cooperation in the Classroom. 2nd ed. Wokingham: Addison-Wesley Educational]) was used to split CL and CLS participants into mixed-sex teams, whereas DI participants practiced the same exercises in dyads. According to the training conditions, the same instructor provided different information to participants along the three 2-hour instructional sessions with regard to: (a) warm-up (DI), (b) CL organization (CL), and (c) scaffolding integrated into a CL implementation (CLS). Data collection: A Pre-test/post-test design was used to consider PE pre-service teacher's motor skill, knowledge for practice, and self-efficacy improvements. The post-test also examined participants' pedagogical knowledge. Findings: The results showed that the participants in the three conditions progressed on performance, knowledge for practice, knowledge for teaching, and self-efficacy. Although no difference was found in self-efficacy between the three training conditions over time, significant differences appeared on pedagogical knowledge or/and motor skills with an advantage for the CL and CLS participants, respectively. Conclusion: Although short training sessions dedicated to discovering new sports stay problematic for teacher professional development, implementing CL pre-service teacher training designs would be a relevant alternative. Instructional knowledge would be developed mainly when they have explicitly access to information concerning the teacher intervention. Nevertheless, such a scaffolding procedure integrated into CL training designs would need to be applied repeatedly to various physical activities to have an impact on pre-service teachers' self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Emotional resilience can be vital to longevity in high-poverty school settings. Equally important to staying the course is the ability to remain motivated despite the unique challenges presented by teaching in high-poverty schools. Students within these schools need teachers who are able to manage their emotions and remain positive and optimistic, persist, remain confident, and continually focus on learning and self-improvement no matter their work environment. This study explored four PE teachers' perceptions of their resilience teaching in high-poverty schools through the lens of resilience theory. Research design: This study utilized an exploratory multiple case study design (Yin 2003). The main premise of the case study method is to better understand complex educational and social phenomena, while retaining the holistic and meaningful particularities of real-life circumstances (Yin 2003). Teacher interviews and teacher shadowing were used to examine the experiences of PE teachers in high-poverty schools. Findings: Results indicate that several psychological factors (relating to positive personality, motivation, focus, and perceived social and administrative support) protected the PE teachers in this inquiry from the potential negative effect of stressors by prompting their metacognitions and challenge appraisal. These processes promoted facilitative responses that proved to be key to developing and maintaining their capacities for resilience. The teachers demonstrated a sustained commitment to self-improvement and student success by implementing effective teaching practices. Conclusion: The teachers in this study possessed strong individual dispositions and were able to demonstrate behaviors that facilitated an elevated level of resilience. School administrators must establish a strong culture of support to enable teacher resilience. Identifying ways to increase the resilience capacity of physical education teachers has the potential to decrease the concerns surrounding teacher attrition and increase job satisfaction for teachers working in high-poverty schools. Implications also indicate a need for physical education teacher education (PETE) programs to identify candidates with the individual dispositions that aid in resilience and provide them with experiences in high-poverty schools. This partnership may assist in minimizing the effects of reality shock oftentimes experienced by new teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As with any period of transition, the induction into a university degree in Physical Education and Sport studies can be a daunting encounter for many students. In recognition of this, increased attention is directed to specific institutional practices that might support students during this phase. Indeed, improving the first-year experience of beginning university students has been identified as a crucial predictor of continuing enrolment. In Australia, student retention rates have improved markedly since 2006, when almost one-third of higher education students did not complete their degrees [Department of Education and Training. 2016." Selected Higher Education Statistics - Time Series Data and Publications." Australian Government. Accessed May 5. https://www.education.gov.au/selected-higher-educationstatistics- time-series-data] Amidst strong political agendas that call for system-wide deregulation and university funding reforms, student retention has surged in priority. Creating the environment and conditions that nurture a student's sense of belonging as early as possible is considered integral to successful transition pedagogy. In other university contexts, Sport Education has been reported to have a positive impact on group cohesion and engagement, yet little research has examined how the pedagogic work of Sport Education produces knowledge about 'fitting in' or belonging, and the wider implications this might have for pre-service teachers' (PSTs) emerging pedagogical practice. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore pre-service health and physical education (HPE) teachers' experiences of a Sport Education unit that was strategically designed and placed to support their transition into an initial teacher education degree in Health and Physical Education and to consider how these experiences shaped perceptions of belonging and pedagogical practice. Participants and research context: Drawing on a narrative research methodology, this research was conducted at a metropolitan university in Victoria, Australia, and sought to explore the first-year transition experiences of 10 HPE PSTs. Participants were purposively selected from across the degree program on the basis that they had participated in the Sport Education unit in the first year of their course. Data collection and analysis: Data were collected through semistructured interviews, participant observations (field notes) and student evaluation data about their participation in this unit. Each participant engaged in a digitally recorded interview of up to 60 minutes in duration, later transcribed verbatim. This paper specifically reports on the narratives of three participants whose individual backgrounds had potential to predispose them to transition issues. Data were analysed using critical discourse analysis that specifically sought to identify discourse' power relations that shaped participants' perceptions of 'fitting in'. Findings: Despite the perceived homogeneity of HPE PSTs, diversity in terms of their backgrounds and biographies exists that can impact on their perceptions about belonging and 'fitting in' at the university. This research highlights the importance of transition pedagogies that are embedded within curricula in ways that are relevant for HPE teachers for their capacity to contribute to a sense of belonging and connectedness. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate specific pedagogical features that, for these participants, were integral to inclusive, engaging and positive first-year experiences and raises questions about practices that potentially reinforce marginality through various workings of power in HPE teacher preparation programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In western societies, commitment to social justice claims for politics of recognition when referring to gender diversity. Gender nonconforming people, such as trans persons, represent social groups traditionally oppressed within heteronormative hegemonic thinking on gender. We present two qualitative case studies based on pedagogical activities that aim to convey our ruminations on this queer question: how can we contribute to the subversion of gender normalcy in Physical Education and Sport Tertiary Education (PESTE) through the imagination of trans persons' Physical Education and Sport experiences? Theoretical framework: With the support of queer concepts, we theorize on trans persons and queer pedagogy. Trans persons do not fit into gender binarism which molds hegemonic ideology of heteronormativity, bringing about serious consequences that would include discrimination and harassment. Queer pedagogy efforts to enhance social justice should put the eye not only in trans persons' experiences and feelings but also in cisgender's (non-trans persons) beliefs and attitudes toward trans persons. Participants and methodology: Both activities were developed in the same degree with different groups of PESTE students. The first activity unfolds the use of a fictional tale, previously created for pedagogic purposes. The second activity entails queer tango as embodied performance to challenge heteronormativity. Qualitative data was obtained during the activities and was thematically analyzed to illustrate the activity and students' interpretations. Results and discussion: A range of responses to the fictional tale resulted from the first activity. Some students legitimized sex/gender binarism and biological norms, unquestionably reflecting heteronormativity and, therefore, abjection toward trans persons. Others showed difficulties in achieving a true acceptance that would involve, for instance, an appropriately naming of gender identities. Finally, some exhibited their willingness to respect, encounter and accept trans persons. In the second activity, students found interesting the opportunity that queer tango had offered to exchange gender roles, while others expressed their difficulties in performing other gender roles than their own. Embodied experience was of significant importance in the process of gaining empathetic imagination on gender diversity. Some students questioned the rigid structuration of the beginning of the activity, while other's slapstick performances were identified as strategies of resistance. Participants also reflected on how PESTE students imagined themselves teaching, commenting their lack of formation and ability to construct a non-heteronormative PES. Conclusions and final comments: Initiatives to sensitize about gender diversity and disrupt normalcy are necessary in PESTE. The two activities presented evidence coexisting imaginaries on trans persons. The double approach based on a fictional tale and a queer dance show different possibilities to enhance the empathetic imagining of distant others, trans persons in this case. With its limitations, politics of recognition need to enhance empathetic imagination to foster the possibilities for recognition and dialog between gender privileged and oppressed individuals and groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: For beginning physical educators, navigating entry into the school environment can often be a capricious process. Lawson's (1983) theory of socialization illustrates the diverse variables that affect the highly volatile process of assimilation. The interplay of these variables in the socialization process directly influences the teaching environment and in turn, has the capacity to generate either positive or negative impacts on teaching performance (Rink, 2002). Purpose: This study examined the factors influencing the teaching performance of 13 physical educators during their influential entry-level year. Method: Using Rink's (2002) essential teaching tasks for effective instruction as a framework, data were collected through a series of systematic observations, questionnaires, surveys, and interviews. Constant comparative methods identified emergent themes, and paired with systematic observations of teaching provided a unique mixedmethods approach. Findings and conclusions: Academic Learning Time-Physical Education revealed a mean score of 36% motor-appropriate activity with significant differences among teacher genders, school setting, and observation point. Mean scores for Qualitative Measures of Teacher Performance Scale were 67.25 out of 100.00 with significant differences among school setting and school level. Scores on the Self-Evaluation of Teacher Effectiveness in Physical Education questionnaire indicated that participants believed they were 'usually' employing effective teaching methodologies. Themes included the prominence of management and discipline policies, the importance of developing a strong rapport with students, and the professional benefits of projecting a positive individual disposition. Implications signify the need for increasing the diversity of Physical Education Teacher Education experiences and developing additional support structures for beginning teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although a great deal of research has been undertaken from 1982 on TGfU, teachers consider its implementation to be complex and are reluctant to integrate it into their teaching practice. Furthermore, some TGfU literature does not suggest how it might be implemented and how problems might be overcome. On the other hand, a review of TGfU studies showed three shortcomings. First, most of them only compared TGfU with a technique-based approach in the school setting. Second, the studies did not follow the fidelity guidelines for models-based practice research and it is therefore difficult to contrast their results. Third, lesson design was not aligned on the principles of play. Thus, this study provide additional support for going forward from comparative studies in educational settings, and enacting an aligned TGfU unit of floorball contextualized in the principles of play. Purpose: To verify whether pupils improved in variables related to performance and adherence after the enactment of an aligned TGfU unit. Method: An eight lessons unit was designed, validated, and enacted using a mixed-methods quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test design. Participants were 41 pupils (23 boys and 18 girls; M = 11.73, SD = .66 years old) from two regular physical education classes with the same teacher. The teacher was trained in the TGfU approach. In pre-test and post-test assessments, data from decision-making, technical execution, cover, support, game performance, game involvement, enjoyment, perceived competence, and intention to be physically active were collected, using the Game Performance Assessment Instrument, two psychological scales, and two focus groups interviews with the pupils and the teacher. We analysed quantitative data using t-tests and qualitative data following an open and axial coding based on the preexisting categories. Results: Pupils improved in decision-making, technical execution, cover, support, game performance, game involvement, enjoyment, perceived competence, and intention to be physically active after implementation of the TGfU unit. The pupils and the teacher perceived improvement in all the variables analysed as a consequence of the intervention. Conclusion: After the implementation of the aligned TGfU floorball unit, pupils improved in the variables related to performance and adherence. Based on participants'key comments, four aspects appeared to be essential for the success of the unit: (a) the lesson design; (b) collaboration from planning to teaching the unit between the researcher and the teacher; (c) the inclusion of learning tasks linked with cover and support; and (d) the use of two reflective periods that helped pupils to understand and apply new knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health and Physical Education Teacher Education (HPETE) is increasingly shaped by agendas, stakeholders and accountability regimes that restrict rather than open up what is possible (Tinning [2006]. "Theoretical Orientations in Physical Education Teacher Education." In The Handbook of Physical Education, edited by D. Kirk, D. Macdonald, and M. O'Sullivan, 369-385. London: SAGE). The evolution of an HPETE programme orientation that is 'more conservative, less eclectic and adventurous' (Tinning 2006, 372), and less socio-cultural and democratic (Enright, E., L. Coll, D. Ní Chróinín, and M. Fitzpatrick. [2017]. "Student Voice as Risky Praxis: Democratising Physical Education Teacher Education." Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy 22 (5): 459-472) has serious implications for both the official and the hidden curriculum (Bain [1975]. "The Hidden Curriculum in Physical Education." Quest 24 (1): 92-101) of HPETE, meaning the explicit and implicit content and values taught and learned by students. Purpose: In this paper, we seek to identify how, why and to what effect various agendas and stakeholders are shaping HPETE programme orientations in Australia. To this end, we draw on the work of Bernstein and deploy an acoustic metaphor to consider who speaks, who is heard and who is addressed within HPETE, with a particular focus on the implications of these acoustics. Participants and setting: The paper draws on data that were generated across three academic years with the students and teacher educators of one HPETE programme in an Australian university. Data collection: Data were generated through: (1) focus group interviews with teacher educators and students; (2) teacher educator written reflections; (3) programme review documentation for national accrediting bodies; (4) electronic course profiles; and (5) university internal policy documents. Data analysis: These data were subjected to an inductive thematic analysis. Following Armour and Duncombe [(2004). "Teachers' Continuing Professional Development in Primary Physical Education: Lessons from Present and Past to Inform the Future." Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy 9 (1): 3-21, this journal], three vignettes were also constructed post-analysis to serve as rhetorical devices to facilitate the reader in engaging with the complexity, the emotionality and the politics of curriculum construction, contestation, reconstruction and reform (Goodson [1984]. "Subjects for Study: Towards a Social History of Curriculum." In Defining the curriculum: Histories and ethnographies, edited by I. Goodson and S. Ball, 24-44. London: Routledge) and the pedagogic acoustics of one HPETE programme. Findings: HPE teacher educators are serving many masters in order to have programmes accredited whilst also satisfying internal university approval processes and trying to maintain the philosophical integrity and some sense of ownership over HPETE programmes. Students are often unaware of the non-negotiables that have come to define and/or limit how teacher educators teach towards social justice and facilitate democratic engagement and, therefore, are sometimes critical of the disconnect between the 'walk and talk' of teacher educators. 'The medium is the message' was one of the strongest themes to be constructed from the data set, as all participants agreed that certain institutional and policy arrangements, pedagogical decisions and styles of communication were a large part of what was taught and learned about social justice, democracy and equity in and through HPETE. Discussion and conclusion: In contexts where both teacher educators and student teachers feel that their voices have been silenced, sidelined or muted and their pedagogic rights limited, opportunities for 'democratic deliberation' and 'radical collegiality' [Fielding (1999). 'Radical Collegiality: Affirming Teaching as an Inclusive Professional Practice. ' The Australian Educational Researcher 26 (2): 1-34] become imperative. Our discussion engages with the implications of the explicit and implicit values taught and learned by student teachers through their experiences of HPETE and highlights how teacher educators can work to promote the pedagogic rights of their students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Physical education (PE) and physical education teacher education (PETE) have a substantial literature base that advocates for students to develop a critical consciousness, appreciate multiple perspectives, and engage in actions to enhance social justice [Tinning, R. 2016. "Transformative Pedagogies and Physical Education." In The Routledge Handbook of Physical Education Pedagogies, edited by C. Ennis, 281-294. New York: Routledge]. Analysing sociocultural issues, critically reflecting on beliefs, knowledge, biography, and values, and developing a sense of agency to enact change, have been recognised as an integral part of the PETE knowledge base for some time [Fernández-Balboa, J. M. 1997. "Physical Education Teacher Preparation in the Postmodern era: Toward a Critical Pedagogy." In Critical Postmodernism in Human Movement, Physical Education, and Sport, edited by J. M. Fernández-Balboa, 121-138. Albany: State University of New York Press]. However, there remain differences in how social justice itself is conceptualised and enacted. Social justice is aligned heavily with critical and 'post' theories where taking action for justice, democracy, and power is central; but social justice is also found in humanist beliefs in student-centredness and equality and has been co-opted by neoliberal forces that promote individual responsibility. While a lack of consensus is not in itself a problem [Bialystok, L. 2014. "Politics Without "Brainwashing": A Philosophical Defence of Social Justice Education." Curriculum Inquiry 44 (3): 413-440], diverse definitions might contribute to confusion and lead to uncertainty over what and how to teach for social justice. Purpose: In order to work towards greater certainty around concepts of social justice in the PETE community, this project sought to map variations in definition and conceptualisation of social justice and sociocultural issues among physical education teacher educators (PETEs) and physical education and sport pedagogy (PESP) educators, as part of a wider project on social justice and sociocultural perspectives and practices in PETE. Methods: PETE and PESP faculty (n = 72) in North America, Europe, and Australasia engaged in an in-depth interview, during which they were asked how they define social justice and sociocultural issues. Additional information about participants' social identity was collected. A constant comparative method of analysing participants' definitions mapped a range of concepts building on the theoretical framework of neoliberal, humanist, critical, and 'post' approaches to social justice. Findings: The data demonstrate that there are a range of understandings about sociocultural issues and social justice. Most commonly, some participants articulated a humanist approach to social justice by encouraging their pre-service teachers (PSTs) to have awareness of equality of opportunity in relation to gender, sexuality, and/or racism. Less prevalent, but strongly stated by those who conceptualised social justice in these terms, was the importance to take action for democracy, empowerment, or critical reflection. The terms diversity and equality, framed in neoliberal and humanist discourses, were most commonly used within the United States (US), while critical pedagogy and alignment with critical and 'post' theoriesweremore prevalent in Australia and NewZealand. Conclusion: Differences exist in the ways social justice is conceptualised in PETE. While this can be attributed to the influence of local issues, it is also reflective of what intellectual tools, such as humanism or critical theory, are available for problematising social issues. The range of non-critical concepts found raises concern that PSTs are not getting the tools to enact social justice or tackle sociocultural issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: For over four decades, there have been calls for physical education (PE) and physical education teacher education (PETE) to address social inequality and foster social justice. Yet, as numerous studies demonstrate, attempts to educate for social justice in PETE are infrequent and rarely comprehensive. This raises the question why it appears to be possible in some situations but not others, and for some students and not others. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the multiple sociopolitical networks or assemblages in which PETE is embedded and explore how these shape the possibilities for students to engage with the concept of social justice and sociocultural issues (SCI) when learning to teach PE. Two research questions guided this study: How does an orientation for social justice education (SJE) within education policy affect the standards for enacting PETE programs? How is SJE encouraged within PETE programs? Methodology: Drawing from a broader study of over 70 key personnel in more than 40 PETE programs, we examined how faculty in PETE understand their professional world, identify their subjective meanings of their experiences, and address SCI and SJE within PETE. Data sources included an initial survey, a semi-structured interview, and program artifacts. We analyze the ways that SJE/SCI was represented in three national settings (England, the United States, and New Zealand) and identified common themes. Results: Examination of each national setting reveals ways that SJE and SCI were enabled and constrained across the national, programmatic, and individual level in each of the countries. The coherence of explicit National policy and curricula, PETE program philosophies, and the presence of multiple individual interests in social justice served to reify a sociocultural agenda. Conversely, possibilities were nullified by narrow or general National Standards, programs that failed to acknowledge sociocultural interests, and the absence of a critical mass of actors with a socio-critical orientation. These differences in assemblage culminated in variations in curriculum time that served to restrict or enable the breadth, frequency, and consistency of the messages surrounding SCI in PETE. Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of acknowledging socio-political networks where PETE operates. The agency of PETEs to enact pedagogies that foreground sociocultural interests is contingent on congruity of the networks. The authors caution that although the 'perfect storm' of conditions has a profound influence of the possibility of transformational learning of SCI in PETE, this arrangement is always temporary, fluid, and subject to changes in any of the three network levels. Additionally, the success of PETE in enabling graduating PE teachers to recognize the inequities that may be reinforced through the 'hidden curriculum' and to problematize the subject area is contingent on the expectations of the schools in which they teach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An emerging body of Physical Education scholarship is addressing the challenge of preparing Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) students to enact a socio-critically informed Health Education [Leahy, D., and L. McCuaig. 2014. "Disrupting the Field: Teacher Education in Health Education." In Health Education: Critical Perspectives, edited by K. Fitzpatrick, and R. Tinning, 220-232. Oxon: Routledge]. Researchers have identified the tensions faced by PETE educators whose students typically adopt an uncritical acceptance of socially unjust practices concerning the 'healthy body' [Tinning, R., and T. Glasby. 2002. "Pedagogical Work and the 'Cult of the Body': Considering the Role of HPE in the Context of the 'New Public Health'." Sport, Education and Society 7 (2): 109-119]. Although scholars have advocated the usefulness of critical pedagogies as a means of inspiring PETE students' capacities to question 'taken-for-granteds' circulating within HPE, others such as Gore [1998. "On the Limits to Empowerment through Critical and Feminist Pedagogies." In Power/Knowledge/Pedagogy, edited by D. Carlson, and M. Apple, 271-288. Westview], have argued that radical pedagogues have failed to name the specific alternative practices they employ. Indeed, little has changed since Gore (1998) challenged the profession to 'translate their visions into practice' (274). Purpose: In response to Gore's challenge, this paper presents one contemporary PETE educator's proclaimed use of critical pedagogy as a strategy to confront social justice and socio-cultural issues within an Australian HPETE programme. This analysis exposes the 'hidden' curriculum and pedagogy of higher education classrooms where practice is not routinely revealed, let alone shared. Following this, the authors explore the extent to which these pedagogical approaches were enacted as intended, in accordance with the tenets of critical pedagogy and, importantly, what students made of these endeavours. Design and analysis: The ethnographic doctoral study took place within the context of a PETE programme delivered at a large, prestigious Australian university. The participating group of 44 specialist PETE students were enrolled in EDU39 Educating for Better Health, and were commencing the third year of their teacher training course. Drawing on qualitative interview data and student assessment tasks, this paper documents the rationale behind, and enactment of, four pedagogical strategies delivered within the health education courses of this PETE programme. Comparison of pre-teaching interview data with the researcher's observation notes, revealed the compromises that ensued within the realities of a complex teacher education learning space. Conclusion: In seeking to make sense of this 'pedagogical soup' [Tinning, R. 1995. "We Have Ways of Making You Think, or Do We? Reflection on 'Training' in Reflective Teaching." In Better Teaching in P. E.?: Think About It! Proceedings of the International Seminar on Training of Teachers in Reflective Practice in Physical Education, edited by C. Pare'. Quebec: Department des science de l'activite' physique, Universite' du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres], the paper argues that the approaches of social justice pedagogy offer a more nuanced rationale for, and appropriate alignment with, the pedagogical strategies employed. In light of this analysis, the authors suggest that challenging and disrupting PETE students' values and knowledges through critical pedagogies continues to be an unpredictable and dangerous project, but still poses a valuable strategy for productive, albeit it modest, pedagogical work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: For many years, scholars in Physical Education Teacher Educator (PETE) have argued for the importance of educating preservice teachers (PSTs) about equality (e.g. Evans, J. 1990. "Defining a Subject: The Rise and Rise of the New Physical Education?" British Journal of Sociology of Education 11: 155-169), sociocultural perspectives and issues (e.g. Cliff, K., J. Wright, and D. Clarke. 2009. "What Does a Sociocultural Perspective Mean in Health and Physical Education?" In Health and Physical Education: Issues for Curriculum in Australia and New Zealand, edited by M. Dinan-Thomson, 165-182. Melbourne: Oxford University Press; Flory, S. B., Tischler, A., and Sanders, S. 2014. Sociocultural issues in physical education: Case studies for teachers. New York: Rowman & Littlefield), and critical pedagogy (e.g. Fernandez-Balboa, J. M. 1997. "Physical Education Teacher Preparation in the Postmodern Era: Toward a Critical Pedagogy." In Critical Postmodernism in Human Movement, Physical Education, and Sport, edited by J. M. Fernandez-Balboa, 121-138. Albany: State University of New York Press; Philpot, R (2015) Critical pedagogies in PETE: An Antipodean perspective. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education 34(2): 316-332). Despite this advocacy, we would argue that there are significant differences in how faculty teach about sociocultural issues, and for, social justice. The pedagogical actions through which PETEs do this work is the focus of this paper. Purpose: We investigated the pedagogical approaches and strategies used by PETE faculty to address and educate PSTs about social justice and sociocultural issues related to gender, race, sexuality, (dis)ability, socioeconomic status and religion in their individual PETE programs. In this study, we draw on transformational pedagogy (Ukpokodu, O. 2009. "Pedagogies that Foster Transformative Learning in a Multicultural Education Course: A Reflection." Journal of Praxis in Multicultural Education 4 (1), Article 4; Ovens, A. 2017. "Transformative Aspirations and Realities in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE)." In The Routledge Handbook of Physical Education Pedagogies, edited by C. Ennis, 295-306. New York: Taylor and Francis) as a framework for theorizing the data. Through this study, we highlight the pedagogical practices espoused as those that engender transformative learning. Data collection and analysis: Data for this interpretive qualitative research study was collected primarily through in-depth semi-structured interviews with over 70 PETEs who work in 48 PETE programs across Australia, Canada, England, Ireland New Zealand, Sweden, and the United States. Furthermore, an informational survey was used to gather demographic data of the participants. The participants, all current PETEs, had a wide range of professional experiences, which included the length of time in the profession, the type of institution employed, educational backgrounds and courses taught. Data analysis was completed using the processes of content analysis and the constant comparative method (Corbin, J., and A. Strauss. 2008. Basics of Qualitative Research. London: Sage). Findings: Three major themes represent the findings. In the first theme, 'Intentional and Explicit Pedagogies,' we provide descriptions of the approaches and strategies used by PETEs in this study that were planned in advance of the learning experiences. In the second theme, 'Teachable Moments,' we provide examples of how PETEs utilized 'teachable moments' in implicit and explicit ways to educate PSTs about sociocultural issues. The third theme, 'Resistance and Constraints' captures the individual challenges PETE faculty faced within their courses if, and when, they teach for equity and social justice. The findings suggest that social justice struggles to find an explicit presence within many PETE programs and that educating PSTs about sociocultural issues and social justice is lacking in many PETE programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Concerns that current forms of physical education teacher education (PETE) are not adequately providing teachers with the tools necessary for working with the realities and challenges of teaching physical education in contemporary schools has led some scholars to advocate for an approach that prioritises meaningfulness in physical education. There is, however, little empirical evidence of how future teachers might be taught to facilitate meaningful physical education experiences. Purpose: This paper describes a pedagogical approach to PETE to support pre-service teachers (PSTs) in learning how to facilitate meaningful experiences in physical education. We aim to contribute new understanding through sharing pedagogical principles that support PSTs’ ‘Learning About Meaningful Physical Education’ (LAMPE). Participants and setting: The research team consisted of three physical education teacher educators: Tim and Déirdre who implemented LAMPE pedagogies and Mary who acted as meta-critical friend (pseudonyms used for the review process). Results from the LAMPE innovation reported here are taken from implementation across four semesters of two academic years 2013–2015. Déirdre implemented LAMPE in an introduction to teaching physical education course for pre-service generalist elementary teachers. Tim implemented the approach in an undergraduate developmental games course for future physical education teachers. A total of 106 PSTs participated in the research. Data collection and analysis: Data included teacher educator reflections and non-participant observer data from 33 individual lessons, over 7 hours of transcribed teacher educator Skype conversations, 8 ‘turning point’ documents, 15 sets of PST work samples, and transcripts of individual (n = 10) and 9 focus group interviews (n = 18 participants) with PSTs. Data were analysed inductively. Triangulation of multiple data sources and an expert member check supported trustworthiness of the LAMPE approach and data analysis. Findings: We share five pedagogical principles that reflect how PSTs were supported to learn how to facilitate meaningful physical education experiences. Pedagogies included planning for, experiencing, teaching, analysing, and reflecting on meaningful participation. Implementing pedagogies aligned with these five pedagogical principles helped participants learnwhymeaningful participation should be prioritised as well ashowto facilitate meaningful physical education experiences. Conclusions: Pedagogical principles of LAMPE have been constructed from empirical evidence of both teacher educator and PST experiences that supported learning how to promote meaningful physical education. This research contributes new understanding of how to support PSTs in learning to teach with an emphasis on facilitating meaningful physical education experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Student voice agendas have been slow to permeate higher educational institutions. Curricula in universities, like those in primary and secondary education, are still usually made for students by teachers who, while they may have the best interests of the students in mind, rarely if ever engage students in curriculum decision-making. The need for more equitable, dialogic and democratic engagement by students is particularly relevant in the context of teacher education. It has been argued that pre-service teachers should experience democratic practices during their teacher education experiences in order to have the confidence, knowledge and skills to support democratic opportunities in schools. Purpose: Through the participatory action research project described in this paper we sought to position pre-service teachers as pedagogical consultants who would design feedback strategies, gather feedback with faculty and co-construct physical education teacher education (PETE) curricula. We saw this process as a democratic possibility that might create opportunities for pre-service teachers to critique and transform their own educational experiences. In this paper we detail the process we used to support dialogue about teaching and learning between students and faculty members and draw on the perspectives of the students, pedagogical consultant, lecturer and teaching and learning advocate involved in this project. Participants and setting: The project was undertaken with one cohort (77) of pre-service teachers during the final year of a four-year undergraduate PETE programme in an Irish university and focuses on the democratization of one PETE course. Data collection: Data were generated with and by the pre-service teachers, the pedagogical consultant, the lecturer and the regional teaching and learning advocate. The primary data collection methods were interviews and observation. Data analysis: The data were reviewed repeatedly looking for patterns, themes, regularities, paradoxes, variations, nuances in meaning and constraints [Rubin and Rubin 1995. Qualitative Interviewing. The art of Hearing Data. London: Sage]. The authors coded all data sets independently using constant comparison [Glaser 1965. "The Constant Comparative Method of Qualitative Analysis." Social Problems 12 (4): 436-445] and then shared their processes and subsequent codes. Our analysis engages Greene's [1988. The Dialectic of Freedom. New York: Teachers College Press] dialectical theory, to explore how naming and holding the tensions involved in this research and pedagogical enterprise was not stultifying but generative. Findings: Three key dialectics were constructed from the data: student- teacher, critical reflection-learning and responsibility-accountability. We speak to each of these themes from the perspectives of the students, the pedagogical consultant and the lecturer who participated in this project. Discussion and conclusion: Our discussion turns to the challenges and benefits associated with the pursuit and realization of democratic possibilities in PETE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Educational scholars emphasize that in order to gain a better understanding of the complexity of teaching, greater attention needs to be paid to teachers’ views and perceptions of the challenges and barriers of teaching. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe preschool teachers’ views and perceptions of the main challenges of teaching physical education. The major question addressed was: what are the main challenges that preschool teachers face in teaching physical education, and based on their experiences what suggestions do the preschool teachers make in reference to early childhood physical education? Data collection and analysis: Four experienced early childhood educators from Cyprus volunteered to participate in this study. Data were collected through formal interviews and were analyzed inductively via individual-case and cross-case analysis. Findings: The findings suggest that the four early childhood teachers believed that the main aim of physical education, in the early years, is to provide children with opportunities to develop their psychomotor, cognitive, and social skills. Although the participants consider physical education to be an important subject in the school curriculum, they admitted that it has been undermined to a great extent and is viewed as a marginal subject. Findings from the study suggest that the four early childhood educators faced common barriers, deficiencies, and constraints, relative to the teaching resources. Finally, the participants called for meaningful professional development programs. Implications of these findings for educators are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Teachers’ important diagnostic abilities include noticing and interpreting students’ behaviors and learning processes. By focusing on noticing, I refer to the theoretical framework of professional vision. Professional vision includes the ability to notice what is occurring in complex classroom situations (selective attention) and the ability to give these events meaningful importance (knowledge-based reasoning). Purpose: The purpose of this article is to investigate the noticing differences of groups with different expertise while they observe students’ activities in gym class. Participants and setting: Sixty participants with different sport-specific and pedagogical expertise were asked to describe and interpret videotaped teaching sequences. Observational data were obtained from physical education classes. The focus was on motoric and social learning processes. Research design: The groups were compared in a four-field design according to their observations and interpretations of students’ activities in gym class. Data collection: The teaching sequences function as stimuli to activate selective attention and knowledge-based reasoning. The participants were questioned in guided interviews. Data analysis: The participants’ comments were recorded, transcribed and analyzed based on qualitative content analysis. The analysis was performed with the software program MaxQDA. The comments were subsequently exported to the software program SPSS 20 for further analysis. Results: By comparing groups with different sport-specific and pedagogical expertise, this study reveals new observation foci when people exclusively monitor students’ behaviors, not teachers’ behaviors, in authentic teaching situation along with different observation foci based on expertise. Conclusions: The findings indicate that noticing is a characteristic of professionalization that should be given greater consideration in physical education teacher education (PETE) programs. Special observations tasks (e.g. focusing on social processes) and supplemental theoretical materials for specific issues in PETE programs that use video recordings could help improve learning to notice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Physical education teacher education (PETE) programmes have been identified as a critical platform to encourage the exploration of alternative teaching approaches by pre-service teachers. However, the socio-cultural constraint of acculturation or past physical education and sporting experiences results in the maintenance of the status quo of a teacher-driven, reproductive paradigm. Previous studies have reported successfully overcoming the powerful influence of acculturation, resulting in a change in PETE students' custodial teaching beliefs and receptiveness to alternative teaching approaches. However, to date, limited information has been reported about how PETE students' acculturation shaped their receptiveness to an alternative teaching approach. This is particularly the case for PETE recruits identified in the literature as most resistant to change. Purpose: To explore the features and experiences of an alternative games teaching approach that appealed to PETE recruits identified as most resistant to change, requiring a specific sample of PETE recruits with strong, custodial, traditional physical education teaching beliefs, and whom are high-achieving sporting products of this traditional culture. The alternative teaching approach explored in this study is the constraints-led approach (CLA), which is similar operationally to Teaching Games for Understanding, but distinguished by a neurobiological theoretical framework (nonlinear pedagogy) that informs learning design. Participants and setting: A purposive sample of 10 Australian PETE students was recruited for the study. All participants initially had strong, custodial, traditional physical education teaching beliefs, and were successful sporting products of this teaching approach. After experiencing the CLA as learners during a games unit, participants demonstrated receptiveness to the alternative pedagogy. Data collection and analysis: Semi-structured interviews and written reflections were sources of data collection. Each participant was interviewed separately, once prior to participation in the games unit to explore their positive physical education experiences, and then again after participation to explore the specific games unit learning experiences that influenced their receptiveness to the alternative pedagogy. Participants completed written reflections about their personal experiences after selected practical sessions. Data were qualitatively analysed using grounded theory. Findings: Thorough examination of the data resulted in establishment of two prominent themes related to the appeal of the CLA for the participants: (i) psychomotor (effective in developing skill) and (ii) inclusivity (included students of varying skill level). The efficacy of the CLA in skill development was clearly an important mediator of receptiveness for highly successful products of a traditional culture. This significant finding could be explained by three key factors: the acculturation of the participants, the motor learning theory underpinning the alternative pedagogy and the unit learning design and delivery. The inclusive nature of the CLA provided a solution to the problem of exclusion, which also made the approach attractive to participants. Conclusions: PETE educators could consider these findings when introducing an alternative pedagogy aimed at challenging PETE recruits' custodial, traditional teaching beliefs. To mediate receptiveness, it is important that the learning theory underpinning the alternative approach is operationalised in a research-informed pedagogical learning design that facilitates students' perceptions of the effectiveness of the approach through experiencing and or observing it working. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Past research has shown that under the right conditions, youth can learn values through physical education and sport (PES). Although some programs have been developed using PES as a means to foster positive development, a limited amount of research has specifically addressed how stakeholders believe this type of material can be promoted. Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to investigate the perspectives of physical education (PE) teachers, sport coaches, PE students, and athletes from a Singaporean school taking part in an instructional program designed to teach values through PES. The study was guided by the four research questions: (a) What were the perceived benefits of the values training program? (b) How did the participants believe that PE students and athletes were able to transfer the values learned in PES to daily applications? (c) What did the participants believe were factors that facilitated and/or hindered the transfer of values? and (d) What do the participants believe could improve future values training programs? Participants: A total of 38 participants (3 PE teachers, 3 sport coaches, 16 PE students, and 16 athletes) were purposefully selected for the present study. The PE teachers and sport coaches ranged in age from 26 to 38 years (M = 32; SD = 2.2), had an average of 7 years of teaching experience (SD = 1.6), and had an average of 2.5 years of coaching experience (SD = 1.2). The PE students and athletes ranged in age from 10 to 12 years (M = 11.7; SD = 0.99). Data collection: Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with PE teachers and sport coaches while focus-group interviews were used for PE students and athletes. Data analysis: The interview transcripts were analyzed using a thematic analysis that was driven by both the data and the research questions. Findings: The results revealed that: (a) PE teachers and sport coaches believed that the training program helped them acquire pedagogical strategies and increased their motivation for teaching values, (b) PE students and athletes believed that they were able to apply some of the values learnt through PES in non-sport settings, (c) purposefully designed activities by PE teachers and sport coaches facilitated the transfer of values, and (d) time constraints were the key challenge that hindered the learning and transfer of values. Conclusion: The current study indicated that for PES to be a context conducive to the learning of values, adult leaders must be trained appropriately, guided by established theories, such as Kolb's theory of experiential learning. PE teachers and sport coaches indicated how they believe that they have benefited from the training program by being better equipped to teach values through PES. Nevertheless, more interventions and more theory-based research are needed to ensure that PES is deliberately designed to provide youth with opportunities to improve as sportspersons and also citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Many studies have found that Physical Education and Health (PEH) is a popular subject among the majority of pupils. Still, there is an on-going discussion concerning the aim of PEH and what legitimises it as a school subject. It is difficult to identify what knowledge appears as legitimate within PEH, and this creates conflicts within the field. Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to contribute to the on-going debate regarding the knowledge content and the identity problems described in PEH. The conceptual framework used is curriculum theory, inspired by Bernstein's and Lundgren's theoretical work on the social construction of knowledge and the relationship between the production and reproduction of curricular knowledge, further developed by Linde. The specific research questions are the following: (1) What knowledge appears as legitimate in the subject in Sweden on these three levels: In the syllabus, as viewed by teachers, and during the realisation of lessons? (2) What are the similarities and differences between these levels with regard to legitimate subject knowledge? (3) Can we understand the described identity problem in the subject with the help of what knowledge appears legitimate? Research design and data collection: The data used originate from three empirical materials obtained in Sweden from 2003 to 2005: the syllabus valid for compulsory school (i.e. Lpo 94) at the time the interviews and observations took place, material from semi-structured interviews with six PEH teachers who teach year 9 in four different secondary schools, and information from 20 videotaped PEH lessons taught by the interviewed teachers. Findings: The results indicate that one can distinguish two largely dissimilar objects of learning which differ most markedly between the field of formulation and the field of transformation and realisation. The content knowledge of the field of formulation is largely reformulated in the field of transformation, but no major change takes place from the field of transformation to the field of realisation. The ‘formulated object of learning’ primarily comprises functional physical exercise, conceptual development, and the understanding of health and lifestyles. The ‘realised object of learning’ consists of formalised sport and physical exercise, with a minor focus on conceptual development. Conclusions: Since two largely different objects of learning emerge in the subject, consensus is low regarding what knowledge is considered legitimate; the knowledge domain on the primary field most likely differs between the two arenas. A main problem for PEH in trying to gain legitimacy is that there are many different actors in the primary field who are related to and have interest in the subject and the knowledge basis of the subject derives from several different academic disciplines and from non-academic ones. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Many alternative curricular models exist in physical education to better meet the needs of students than the multi-activity team sports curriculum that dominates in the USA. These alternative curricular models typically require different content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical CK (PCK) to implement successfully. One of the complexities of learning to teach these models for pre-service teachers (PTs) is understanding the different CK and PCK required which is compounded by their personal lack of experience of the model. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the PCK enacted by PTs learning to teach an alternative curricular model (adventure-based learning [ABL]) in urban middle schools. Research design: Qualitative methods were used to explore how the PTs demonstrated their PCK while teaching an ABL unit to urban middle school students. The study took place at a major university and in three middle schools in a large urban school district in Midwestern USA. Participants: Thirteen PTs enrolled in the secondary methods course and associated internship agreed to participate in this study. The PTs (five males and eight females) ranged in age from 21 to 26 years and all self-identified as white. Data collection and data analysis: Three methods of data collection were employed in this study: interviews, daily reflections called critical friends, and stimulated recall reflection of teaching an ABL lesson. Data were analyzed using constant comparison. Trustworthiness was established through triangulation of the data using multiple data sources, peer debriefing, member checking, and negative case analysis. Findings: Four themes represented the PTs' demonstration of PCK when learning to teach ABL in urban middle schools. The themes were (a) trusting the sequence, (b) knowing your students, (c) facilitate don't dictate, and (d) processing the experience. The findings provide further insight into the demonstration of PTs' PCK in secondary physical education, and specifically relative to teaching ABL in urban middle schools. To better equip PTs to be able to teach using these models, we recommend the following: (a) they have the opportunity to ‘live the curriculum' in their PETE programme, (b) developing the PTs' specific CK and student-centered pedagogical knowledge for specific alternative curricular models is imperative in developing the PCK for such model, (c) developing PTs' knowledge of students relative to the complexities of learning to teach each specific model, (d) observing an expert teach the model to K-12 students, and (e) recognizing that learning to teach these models is a developmental process and providing the PTs with an emotionally safe and caring space to explore teaching such models is crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]