Teacher Socialization in Physical Education: A Scoping Review of Literature

• Published in: Kinesiology review (Champaign, Ill.) Ill.), 2019-05, Vol.8 (2), p.86-99
• Main Authors: Richards, K. Andrew R., Pennington, Colin G., Sinelnikov, Oleg A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Physical education; Socialization
• ISSN: 2163-0453; 2161-6035
• DOI: 10.1123/kr.2018-0003

Occupational socialization theory (OST) has framed research on physical education (PE) teacher recruitment, professional preparation, and ongoing socialization in schools for nearly 40 yr. Using scoping-review methods, the authors sought to understand the current scope of published research on PE-teacher socialization using OST by descriptively and thematically reviewing 111 identified studies published in English-language journals between 1979 and 2015. Results indicate a predominance of qualitative, cross-sectional research related to PE-teacher socialization, most of which was conducted by a relatively small group of scholars. Themes derived from the analysis of study findings communicate the complexity of teacher socialization experiences and are used to develop recommendations for future research and practice that work toward helping improve teachers’ lived experiences while creating better contexts in which students can learn. The paper concludes with a discussion of extending OST research to understand the recruitment, professional education, and socialization of kinesiology faculty members and professionals across subdisciplines.