Meeting the standards? Exploring preparedness for teaching

Abstract

This research focused on the perceptions of preservice and beginning health and physical education (HPE) teachers in relation to their preparedness for teaching. A questionnaire was designed to engage with teacher professional standards addressing (i), professional knowledge; (ii), professional relationships and (iii), professional practice. Follow-up interviews with randomly-selected teachers facilitated deeper interrogation of the issues. Findings indicated that both groups felt that their training had prepared them well in relation to most elements of the three aspects of the professional standards. Pre-service teachers had concerns with some elements of professional knowledge: specifically, knowledge and understanding of numeracy, ICT and literacy as they related to the teaching of HPE; and behaviour management. Beginning teachers had similar concerns in relation to professional knowledge and about their ability to plan and use valid and reliable assessment strategies. Data supported previous research that emphasised the ongoing nature of learning as a teacher.