‘I like the idea but…’: the gap in participation in a virtual community of practice for analysing physical education

ABSTRACT

The dynamics of a community of practice are full of tensions and changes regarding possibilities and types of participation. The case study in this paper followed the approach of Stake by focusing on the tension between the willingness to participate and actual participation in an online social network called MultiScopic which involves children of a primary school, their families and in-service physical education teachers, as well as teacher-training students and their professors. Fifty-six participants were invited to take part in MultiScopic over three years, and data was collected through different qualitative procedures.

Initially, all participants foresaw a great potential for this kind of virtual community of practice. Later, participation would drop off for reasons such as laziness and lack of time, caution when posting texts to an online site, fear of being judged and inhibition when other, more academically advanced participants engaged in commentary. Participants stated that MultiScopic helped them to feel professionally active, to appreciate the richness of their profession and to discover occupational possibilities.

KEYWORDS:

• Virtual communities of practice
• physical education
• ongoing teacher training

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. These undergraduate students were required to teach PE and other subjects in schools in order to complete their degree programme. This professional practice period is commonly known as their ‘practicum’.

2. PE teachers in Spain must study at university level for four years in order to obtain a teaching degree. These two pre-service teachers were in the last year of their degree.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alfonso García-Monge

Dr. Alfonso García-Monge holds a degree in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences, and a Ph.D. in Education. He works as a senior lecturer in the University of Valladolid (Spain).

Gustavo González-Calvo

Dr. Gustavo González-Calvo holds a degree in PE’s Primary Education, a degree in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences, and a Ph.D. in Education. He works as a teacher in a public primary school in Spain, and also as a university part-time junior lecturer and researcher in the University of Valladolid (Spain).

Daniel Bores-García

Dr. Daniel Bores-García holds a degree in PE’s Primary Education, a degree in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences, and a Ph.D. in Education. He works as a teacher in a private school in Spain.