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ERIC Number: EJ1109743
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-May
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1949-6427
EISSN: N/A
Early Career Physical Education Teacher Efficacy
Hand, Karen E.; Stuart, Moira E.
Journal of Case Studies in Education, v4 May 2012
The retention of quality teachers has become a critical issue facing the American educational system. Unfortunately, various estimates identify that 30-50% of teachers leave the profession with the first five years. To address this issue, educational researchers have focused on identifying ways of enhancing retention through examining factors that both negatively and positively affect the integration and retention of early career teachers. One such factor is the development of positive teaching efficacy, or the belief in one's ability to be successful across various teaching tasks. For the most part, the early careers of teachers have been studied in traditional classroom settings with little empirical work conducted within the physical education setting. The purpose of this paper is to examine sources that influence the teaching efficacy of early career physical education teachers. Utilizing in-depth interviews, 15 early career physical education teachers shared how their beginning teaching experiences affected their teaching efficacy. Both individual and contextual sources were identified using an inductive content analysis. Results revealed several sources tied to the role and effectiveness of their mentor. Specifically, the role and effectiveness of the mentor specific to the physical education context revealed that the physical education setting created unique sources of influence on these teachers' early integration into their teaching environment. Some teachers built confidence with the assistance from mentors while most figured it out on their own. Further exploration and research are required to verify or refute the assumed effectiveness of mentoring programs.
Academic and Business Research Institute. 147 Medjool Trail, Ponte Vedra, FL 32081. Tel: 904-435-4330; e-mail: editorial.staff@aabri.com; Web site: http://www.aabri.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A