A Conceptual Framework for Understanding the Professional Lives of Hong Kong Primary School Physical Education Teachers.

Abstract

An individual in a society has both a personal and a professional identity. He/she experiences the socialization process within his/her culture, develops a sense of self, and becomes a member of a society or organization. An individual also experiences a socialization process in an organization within his/her profession. This process is termed ‘professionalization’. A physical education teacher is an ordinary individual in a particular organization or society. He/she goes through the socialization process by experiencing the changes of his/her identity and professional identity within that organization or society. Those changes might have a positive influence on his/her professional life or create a negative perception of his/her profession which might eventually lead him/her on a different career trajectory. Therefore, the discussion of this article is an exploration of the relationship between these elements in establishing a theoretical framework that underpins the professional lives of Physical Education teachers. This article focuses on the professional lives of Hong Kong primary school Physical Education teachers (PSPETs). The concepts of identity, socialization, professionalization, and career trajectory which shape the professional lives of Physical Education teachers in Hong Kong are critically reviewed. The article begins with an introduction on the need to explore the teachers' professional lives. The second part outlines concepts such as identity, socialization, professionalization, and career trajectory which underpin the framework of this study. To conclude, there is discussion which relates and justifies how useful those concepts are to the exploration of the professional lives of Hong Kong primary school Physical Education teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]