A mountain too high to climb? An exploratory study of perceived barriers to mobilisation of research literature into physical education teacher education experienced by a group of Danish PE teacher educators

ABSTRACT

International research emphasises that Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) has a key role to play in initiating and processing changes in Physical Education (PE). However, several researchers also find that it is a significant challenge for PETE to contest ideological approaches regarding PE practices among PE student teachers. Stronger relationships between research and educational practice and more deliberate mobilisation of research into teacher education may help address such educational issues. The main agents in that regard are teacher educators who are supposed to have the competencies to mobilise research literature into PETE. However, in Denmark, only 10% of Danish teacher educators hold a research-based PhD. The main aim of this article is to make the first steps towards more knowledge in this area by presenting an exploratory study of perceived barriers to mobilising research literature into PETE as experienced by a group of Danish PE teacher educators. The paper is based on empirical data generated through a course developed to qualify PE teacher educators’ competencies in the use of research literature: papers, discussion-notes and interviews. Four main categories were generated: (1) ‘We’re competing on time’, (2) ‘A separate approach’, (3) ‘It has to add value’ and (4) ‘Hard to make it that academic’. The discussion addresses some general focus points for supporting the application of research in teacher education and suggest directions for future research.

KEYWORDS:

• Physical education teacher education
• research-based teacher education
• pE teacher educators
• research mobilisation
• pedagogic device

Acknowledgements

The author expresses thanks the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive and helpful comments on the original draft of this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 The definition is based on the Frascati Manual from 2015.

2 ECTS means European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System. Sixty ECTS equates to a full year of study.