Navigating Change: Implementation of Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility in K-1 Physical Education

This paper provides perspective of a teacher’s experiences attempting pedagogical change. Action research (AR) served as the structured methodology for self-inquiry which influenced the teacher/researcher’s approach to instructional change while providing evidence to support the results outlined in this paper. Nonexistent and vague affective student learning outcomes were the driving force behind the adoption of Hellison’s responsibility model. Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) was implemented in an existing K-1 physical education program, consisting of a six-week cumulative intervention. The teacher/researcher’s experiences, perceptions, teaching strategies, and planning practices where chronicled throughout the study by utilizing daily journals, the TARE post-teaching reflection, the TARE implementation checklist, and daily lesson plans. The results of the study suggest pedagogical change is messy and often leaves more questions than answers. Changes were noted in the teacher’s planning and delivery of responsibility-based content, suggesting the teacher became more comfortable and confident resulting in a shift towards self-efficacy when considering the teachers role as a TPSR program leader. The paper concludes by suggesting that, pedagogical change is gradual and requires the support of others sharing a common philosophical perspective towards priorities in physical education. Furthermore, the teacher’s willingness to change and perseverance where the result of the teacher’s value orientation and the perceived benefit of responsibility-based education in a K-1 physical education setting