Constructing Knowledge in Primary Physical Education: A Critical perspective from pre-service teachers

Primary physical education is quickly becoming an area of academic interest with a particular focus on new entrants into the profession. This study adopts a Personal Construct methodology to identify how pre-service teachers in England construct their knowledge of primary physical education. Our findings present four themes for knowledge development, taken from four repertory grid interviews: knowledge perspectives, knowledge validation, knowledge context and knowledge application. Participants expressed they had limited provision for physical education when on a school-based placement, which was attributed to subject outsourcing and a lack of teacher and mentor confidence. The study highlights the importance of professional socialisation through initial teacher education programmes, with opportunities for pre-service teachers to engage with ‘knowledgeable others’. In the absence of opportunity for primary PSTs to develop knowledge in physical education, we caution it is unlikely the issue of teacher competence will improve.