First-year physical education teachers\u27 perceptions of their workplace

This study provides a description of how 12 first year physical education teachers perceived their workplace, how they believed it affected their first year of work, and how they understood the role of that workplace in shaping their induction into the social and organizational context of the school. All of the participants had some experiences that were similar to those encountered by beginning teachers in every area of public education. They had other experiences, however, that were different from those commonly reported in the literature concerning first year classroom teachers. The evidence suggests that such differences were a consequence of the nature of physical education as a subject, as well as its place in the school curriculum and the social fabric of the workplace. This conclusion is based on the analysis of data derived from two interviews conducted with each participant. The interviews were conducted at the end of the participants\u27 first year of teaching. The profiles of each participant describe the interactions between the participants and their workplaces. There were commonalties that cut across all cases. All participants reported that the following workplace factors operated to shape their first year of teaching: the physical education facilities, the presence or absence of teaching colleagues, the scheduling of physical education classes, the community environment, and the students. In addition, several unarticulated (Schein, 1988) factors were identified which represent generic themes of influence in the process of learning to teach physical education in their schools. These included: the status of physical education in the schools, the teachers\u27 sense of efficacy, the testing of values, and the realities of the school as a social institution. The results of this study, when added to the information provided in the literature, suggest that despite modest efforts, many schools provide inadequate support for beginning teachers. First year physical education teachers, like other beginning teachers, still learn the ropes alone (Deal & Chatman, 1989). Moreover, the subject matter of physical education presents unique problems in accomplishing the transition to professional teaching