Exploring Categories of Self-Development of Novice Physical Education Teachers through Teacher Learning Community Activities

Abstract

This study aims to discuss sustainable re-education of physical education teachers by deriving the types of self-development through novice physical education teachers’ experiences of teacher learning community activities. A qualitative research method was used with six physical education teachers from six middle schools located in the Seoul metropolitan area (Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon) in Korea, from which the following types of self-development were obtained: The first category of self-development is “to copy.” They accept everything as new and follow along. The second category is “to critique.” They compare, analyze and criticize each other’s classes with their community members. The third category is “to share.” They proactively share their ideas to transform “what is mine” into “what is ours.” The fourth category is “to create.” They build a new community that is suitable for them and create a process of giving and receiving help. In conclusion, we emphasized that teacher community learning activities of novice physical education teachers in Korea can provide an environment for the re-education of teachers that supports not only continuous self-development but also continuous professional development. As a follow-up study, we suggest a longitudinal study that will enable the understanding of physical education teachers’ continuous teacher learning community activities based on their stage of career growth as teachers. It will include a study on the continuity of re-education of physical education teachers according to the size of a teacher learning community or the relationships between members.