Japanese Elementary Teachers' Learning Experiences of Physical Education Professional Development

The purpose of this study was to investigate Japanese elementary teachers' professional development experiences in physical education in Japan. Participants were nine teachers from four public elementary schools. Data sources included semi-structured face-to-face interviews and annual physical...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Teacher educator Vol. 55; no. 4; pp. 373 - 391
Main Authors Sato, Takahiro, Tsuda, Emi, McKay, Cathy, Furuta, Yu, Kajita, Kazuhiro
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Muncie Routledge 01.10.2020
Taylor & Francis Inc
Subjects
Cultural Influences
Education portfolios
Elementary School Teachers
Faculty Development
Foreign Countries
Mentors
Physical Education
Portfolios (Background Materials)
Professional development
Program Effectiveness
Self Determination
Teacher Attitudes
Teacher Competencies
Teacher Improvement
Japan
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Summary:The purpose of this study was to investigate Japanese elementary teachers' professional development experiences in physical education in Japan. Participants were nine teachers from four public elementary schools. Data sources included semi-structured face-to-face interviews and annual physical education professional development portfolios. Three themes emerged from the data analyses: (a) the importance of mentoring for teachers' growth, (b) annual in-house physical education portfolios as a professional development tool, and (c) the dilemma of being an independent learner in collective culture. The findings suggest that having access to past portfolios developed by previous teachers helped the Japanese elementary teachers to conceptualize the contents of professional learning that facilitated their transitions when they changed their teaching settings. To continuously grow as a teacher, they need to become independent learners who can make decisions about their instruction, identify the weaknesses of their instruction, and understand the impact of their pedagogy on their students' learning.
ISSN:0887-8730
1938-8101
DOI:10.1080/08878730.2020.1801925