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Abstract
Research on the occupational socialization of teachers and coaches has largely centered on physical education teachers and rarely on teachers from core content areas (i.e. English, foreign language, mathematics, science and social studies) who also coach athletics. The primary purpose of this single-case study was to explore the socialization of a first-year, core content area teacher/athletic coach at a small high school in the rural southeastern United States. Various qualitative techniques were utilized during data collection, while data analysis consisted of a system of open, axial and selective coding. Four themes emerged and were viewed through the lens of teacher identity. Themes include gender and opportunity; interactions within the school culture; teaching and coaching expectations; and interrole conflict and complementarity. Findings from this study hope to shed light on the need for further research on core content area teacher-coaches, while adding to the existing literature on females in the coaching profession and the roles of academics and athletics in rural areas.
Notes
1. Social studies is a combination of social sciences and humanities. In the state where the primary participant teaches, high school social studies includes the following courses: World History, United States (US) History, Contemporary Issues, Psychology, Sociology, World Geography, United States Government and Geography.
2. It is important to note that socialization research is inherently value laden, which makes it necessary for all researchers’ to identify their values, biases and subjectivities from the outset (Lawson & Stroot, Citation1993; Mills & Gale, Citation2007). As a former English teacher and basketball coach, I can empathize with the experiences, pressures and struggles awaiting first-year, core content area teacher-coaches because I have been through them myself. Balancing two roles as different as teaching English and coaching basketball—imagine transitioning from William Shakespeare to a 1-2-2 zone trap—can certainly pose challenges for novice teachers. It is this divide that I find most interesting within the induction process of core content area teacher-coaches and it is one of the primary reasons I chose to pursue this study.
3. Traditionally, ninth grade is considered the first (freshman) year of high school. Ninth graders in the United States are typically between the ages of 14 and 15.
4. The pseudonym Kay is used in memory of the late Kay Yow who spent 34 years as the women's basketball coach at North Carolina State University and is widely credited for bringing national acclaim to women's basketball and championing opportunities for female coaches. Coach Yow, also a former high school English teacher, passed away in 2009 after a 20-year battle with breast cancer, but not before significantly increasing national awareness regarding breast cancer research in the United States.
5. Any mention of football refers specifically to American football, which is especially popular in the southeastern United States.
6. US students generally have the option to enroll in Regular, Honors, or Advanced Placement (AP) classes at Chatuge High School.
7. Sixth grade is generally considered the first year of middle school in the United States.
8. While Kay did not play any varsity sports at the collegiate level, she did participate in intramural athletics (athletic leagues for the general student population at the university).
9. PowerPoint is a Microsoft Office tool used to create electronic presentations. PowerPoint has become a common method for engaging students in note taking in the United States.
10. Varsity sports in US high schools are considered the highest level of competition. They are typically played by high school upperclassmen (juniors and seniors—eleventh and twelfth grade) and occasionally by more advanced/gifted underclassmen (freshmen and sophomores—ninth and tenth grade). Schools may have junior varsity (JV) teams as well as freshmen (ninth grade only) teams.
11. Kay's school operates on a block schedule that consists of three instructional periods (90 minutes apiece) and one 90-minute planning period for teachers.
12. Most high school athletic programs in the United States have general (or primary) booster clubs to promote and raise funds for athletics. Some schools also have secondary booster clubs specifically for women's and men's athletics or for specific teams (e.g. football and volleyball).
13. Fraternities (for men) and sororities (for women) are social organizations for university students. However, the term fraternity has also become engrained in athletics, as coaches (male and female) are often said to belong to the ‘coaching fraternity’. Despite the inclusion of females, the very nature of the phrase ‘coaching fraternity’ demonstrates an overall gender bias in coaching and a male stranglehold on the field at large.
14. A wall squat is a strength exercise where a person leans against a wall, bends their knees as if sitting in a chair and holds the position for a short period of time.
15. In the particular state in which Kay teaches, students must earn a minimum of 24 course credits (each class equals one credit) and pass a multiple choice graduation examination during their senior (twelfth grade) year in order to graduate from high school. The graduation examination consists of five parts: reading, language, mathematics, science and social studies.
16. Many US school systems are led by a senior administrator called the superintendent. While superintendents serve as the face of the school system, educational policies are often decided by a group of elected officials, known as the board of education (school board).
17. ‘Rolling out the balls’ is a common saying in the United States to describe physical education teachers who allow students to play whatever sport they choose during class (often basketball or football) while rarely putting much effort into teaching (see Lisa's experience as a first-year teacher in Stroot et al., Citation1993).