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ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary teachers’ experiences of physical education professional development in depopulated rural school districts in Japan to provide future directions to offer effective support for teachers in unique teaching contexts. The study was situated in the framework of andragogy theory. Participants were five elementary teachers. Data sources included individual semi-structured interviews and professional development materials. Three emergent themes were: (a) The needs of providing context-specific professional development, (b) the limitations of child-centered professional development, and (c) insufficient preparation to be physical education directors. There are unique challenges in teaching physical education in a depopulated rural school environment, and the needs of providing context-specific professional development were evident. Establishing collaborative professional communities are key to facilitate teachers’ self-directed learning in such environments, which is the premise of andragogy theory.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.