Effects of occupational socialization on United States secondary physical education teachers’ beliefs regarding curriculum design

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of occupational socialization on the development of United States secondary physical education teachers’ beliefs and actions regarding curriculum design. Participants were 10 teachers. Data were collected with six qualitative techniques and analyzed using analytic induction and constant comparison. Three groups of teachers were identified: non-teachers, conservatives, and progressives. Key influences on the teachers’ beliefs and values were their orientations to teaching and coaching. These orientations had been formed during their acculturation and were untouched or reinforced by their physical education teacher education. The cultures in which they worked generally supported the non-teachers’ perspectives. Practical implications of the study focused on the need for careful selection of preservice teachers, ways in which to deliver physical education teacher education, and the need for increased accountability in schools.