Professional learning and development needs of Chinese university-based physical education teacher educators

Figures & data

Table 1. Interests in professional learning and development factor loadings.

	Research Related Academic Interest	Subject Knowledge and Didactics	Institutional Activities/ Activities with Colleagues	CFA Loadings
Reviewing journal articles, conference abstracts etc.	.86	.03	−.08	.76***
Research skills	.79	.21	−.12	.82***
Academic writing	.76	−.15	.06	.54***
Participation at conferences	.72	.19	−.10	.79***
International exchanges/visits	.62	.14	−.04	.59***
Personal reading (e.g. books, journals etc.)	.61	−.07	.25	.66***
Conference presentations	.52	.02	.21	.62***
Secondment/Sabbatical	.47	.06	.01	.47***
Curriculum development	−.03	.85	.01	.83***
Assessment	−.02	.76	.02	.75***
Current developments in teacher education	.14	.72	−.06	.79***
Integrating technology into your teaching and learning strategies	−.04	.71	.13	.79***
Subject knowledge enhancement	.17	.70	−.09	.81***
Researching my own practice	.26	.53	.08	.67***
Coaching and mentoring student teachers	.01	.47	.10	.54***
Peer coaching	−.01	−.16	.88	.75***
Observation by/of colleagues	−.33	.34	.69	.66***
Training activities within your institution (not award bearing)	.11	−.05	.67	.67***
On-line learning	.35	−.27	.65	.71***
Informal learning conversations with other colleagues	.06	.07	.65	.70***
Action research/practitioner-based research	.04	.13	.57	.61***
Visits to other schools/teacher education institutions	.22	.13	.57	.68***
Award bearing courses (e.g. related to Masters; Fellowships; Postgraduate certification etc.)	−.20	.24	.53	.53***
Eigenvalue	8.73	2.05	1.58
Percentage of total variation	37.9	8.9	6.9
Scale reliability (Cronbach’s alpha)	.86	.89	.86
Means	5.09	5.17	4.89
Standard Deviation	.59	.58	.64

EFA results: KMO measure of adequacy: .881; Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity: χ²₍₂₅₃₎ = 1615.61, p< .001; Percent varianceexplained by three factors: 53.7%. Correlations: factor 1with factor 2 r = .573; factor 1 with factor 3 r = .426; and factor 2 with factor 3 r = .512

For the EFA n = 136, and for the CFA n = 210.

Confirmatory analysis results: χ²₍₂₂₂₎ = 310.50, p< .001, RMSEA = .060, 95% CI[.043,.075]; CFI = .933, TLI = .923;SRMR = .071.

Table 2. Variables influencing the engagement in professional learning and development factor loadings.

	Inherent Characteristics	External Outcomes	CFA Loadings
Activity addresses teaching and learning	.78	.01	.76***
Knowledge of who the providers are	.76	−.07	.82***
Activity addresses research and writing skills	.58	.08	.54***
The availability of staff to cover your teaching/learning/normal work in your absence	.43	.26	.79***
Salary rise as an outcome from the learning	−.13	.87	.59***
Activity addresses networking potential	.16	.67	.66***
The cost of the activity	.06	.66	.62***
Eigenvalue	3.13	1.25
Percentage of total variation	37.9	11.3
Scale reliability (Cronbach’s alpha)	.71	.64
Means	4.58	4.65
Standard Deviation	.76	.81

EFA results: KMO measure of adequacy: .790; Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity: χ²₍₂₁₎ = 187.74, p< .001; Correlations: factor 1with factor 2 r = .52; For the EFA n = 136, and for the CFA n = 110.

Confirmatory analysis results: χ²₍₁₃₎ = 12.42, p= .49, RMSEA = .00, 95% CI[.00,.096]; CFI = 1.00, TLI = 1.00; SRMR = .041.

Table 3. Interests in professional learning and development activities (expressed as mean value 1–6).

	M	SD	N
Research Related Academic Interest
International exchanges/visits	5.29	.71	209
Research skills	5.16	.82	208
Personal reading	5.16	.80	209
Participation at conferences	5.11	.84	208
Secondment/Sabbatical	5.09	.99	209
Reviewing papers	5.02	.84	210
Academic writing	5.01	.81	207
Conference presentations	4.89	.83	209
Academic interest (Overall)	5.09	.59	210
Subject knowledge and didactics
Subject knowledge enhancement	5.39	.67	208
Current developments in teacher education	5.30	.69	207
Curriculum development	5.22	.72	202
Researching my own practice	5.18	.73	206
Integrating technology into teaching and learning	5.14	.74	207
Assessment	5.09	.81	208
Coaching and mentoring student teachers	4.85	.77	200
Subject knowledge and didactics (Overall)	5.17	.58	210
Institutional Activities
Action research/practitioner-based research	5.17	.78	209
Visits to other schools/teacher education institutions	5.08	.83	210
Award bearing courses	4.99	.92	209
On-line learning	4.92	.83	209
Observation by/of colleagues	4.88	.85	208
Peer coaching	4.87	.81	208
Informal learning conversations with other colleagues	4.79	.86	209
Training activities within your institution	4.52	1.05	209
Institutional activities (overall)	4.89	.64	210
Other
Participation in professional organisations	4.94	.87	208
Other forms of empirical research	4.85	.89	209
Specialisation in academic administration	4.15	1.17	207

Table 4. Variables influencing the engagement in professional learning and development activities (expressed as mean value 1–6).

Factors	M	SD	N
Inherent Characteristics
Knowledge of who the providers are (e.g. reputation, authority, experience etc.)	4.84	1.02	208
The extent to which the activity addresses teaching and learning	4.59	1.01	207
The extent to which the activity addresses research and writing skills (including publication)	4.57	1.02	209
The availability of staff to cover your teaching/learning/normal work in your absence	4.30	1.09	209
External Outcomes
The cost of the activity	5.10	.91	209
The extent to which a salary rise might be one outcome from the learning activity	4.47	1.23	208
The extent to which the activity addresses networking potential	4.39	1.03	209
The location of the activity	4.00	1.27	209

Table 5. Identified themes and categories with frequencies arising from PETEds’ most important professional learning and development needs.

Code	Frequencies	%
Research related academic interest
Learning about research	64	24.24%
Academic activity	30	11.36%
Total	94	35.61%
Updating subject knowledge and didactics
Teaching and teacher education	49	18.56%
Subject knowledge	34	12.88%
Total	83	31.44%
Professional training in specific types of sports	47	17.80%
English and international relations	30	11.36%
Management	7	2.65%
Other	3	1.14%
Total	264	100.00%