The professional development of Physical Education teachers in training (PETT) through emotionally significant situations: Methodology and results.

Abstract

Introduction The aim of this research is to understand the professional development of Physical Education Teachers in Training (PETT) from examination of emotionally significant situations in a class setting. The literature says that teaching is a task with important emotional aspects and teachers in training experience both positive and negative emotions during teacher education. Thus, the role of these emotionally significant situations in the development of PETTs needs to be questioned. This research presents two studies: the first study is a picture on the types of emotionally significant situations lived by PETTs during their first year of teaching, while the second study aims to understand how the subjective part of the profession promotes or curbs the professional development of trainee teachers in PE from emotionally significant situations.

Method A mixed research design using a questionnaire and implementing a clinical activity procedure was adopted. The data from the first part of the study were taken from questionnaire responses. PETTs (n=139) had to write two emotionally significant situations they experienced during teaching. The questionnaire took into consideration three main areas of significance: impact of an emotionally significant situation as well as the emotion and the intensity of the emotions experienced in this situation. We investigated also with whom those emotionally significant situations are discussed. The 278 responses were categorized using inductive analysis. The emotions reported, their intensity, the persons with whom the events are discussed and the impact of the situation on the professional development of the PETT were treated with cross tables and descriptive scales that allow us to answer the questions this study. The theoretical framework from the second part of the study is derived from the work of Clot (1999) related to clinical activity which poses several postulates regarding professional development. This part of the study involved following up five PETTs during one year and aims to understand the subjective nature of the teaching profession and the factors that promote or curb their professional development. Thirty-two filmed lessons with an emotionally significant situation serve as support to self-confrontation and crossed interviews. The data were processed using the method of Bruno & Méard (2018) that allows us to define indicators of development in order to identify development invariants.

Results Considering the 278 emotionally significant situations experienced by PETTs, it is understood that most of them come from a feeling of powerlessness in the face of unpredictable times, for example particular students’ actions, or when a student is unmotivated, injured, or when he/she breaks the rules. Situations associated with positive emotions encourage PETTs to overcome difficulties and to achieve specific teaching objectives to motivate students, even those with disabilities or "differences", to progress and learn. These sensitive and more subjective moments enhance the training of the PETTs, most notably, when they are shared and discussed with others, but not necessarily with professionals (friend, spouse, director, tutor, lecturer). Each emotionally significant situation impacts (mostly in a positive way, even the situation in which the PETT feels negative emotions) the professional development.

The findings from the second study shows that the developmental process of the PETT takes into account the individual’s potential to be affected by an emotionally significant situation, mostly shared with someone else, and by the emergence of intrapsychic conflicts. Emotions seem not to be an inhibitor of the professional development; instead of this, it enhances it.

Discussion The developmental process of the PETT takes into account the individual potential to be affected by an event or situation and the emergence of intrapsychic conflicts. Our hypothesis states that this process is triggered only if the development of the PETT is within an environment of intrapsychic conflicts and the realm of the profession, called « the collective of work » (Vygotski, 1934/1985). Additionally, there is evidence that the development is possible only with a “scaffolding” during the intrapsychic conflicts with other professionals (Vygotski, 1934/1985).

Conclusion We suggest that our findings might be considered in teacher education to improve the emotional competencies of preservice teachers. Moreover teacher training should provide opportunities to deal with emotionally significant situations and to use them in a positive way in their developmental process. We could for example in teacher education introduce the analysis of professional practice through narrative emotionally significant situations or use video analysis showing PETT in an emotionally significant situation. Finally these results challenge traditional teaching methods and open up the potential value in hybridised coursework model of PETTs, particularly when taking into account the subjective nature of the teaching profession.