Looking forwards and backwards: The continuing influence of COVID-19 on the practices of physical education teachers

Abstract

This study examined how physical education (PE) teachers in one Australian state approached and implemented their practice following the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 14 primary and high school PE specialist teachers who participated in our previous COVID-19-focused studies to understand the changes that occurred in their practice over time. Analysing teachers’ experiences as part of the figurations they form with others resulted in the identification of key themes that reflected their perceptions of the ongoing influence of COVID-19 on their practices as PE teachers. These themes relate to blind or unplanned social processes (Elias, [1987] 2007a) that contributed to unintended consequences (Elias, 2009a) of the teachers’ actions. They were focused on levels of student engagement, equity, planning, online resources, assessment and well-being. The results showed that while there were ongoing issues related to varied student engagement and home environments, participants perceived that the forced move to online learning had what we considered to be unintended consequences for the PE profession and, specifically, PE teachers. These unintended consequences were focused on planning, online resources, assessment and well-being.