Using Autobiographical Essays to Encourage Student Reflection on Socialization Experience

Autobiographical Essays 1

Running Head: Autobiographical Essays 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Using Autobiographical Essays to Encourage Student Reflection on Socialization Experience 24

Joshua Betourne1 & K. Andrew R. Richards2 25

1Department of Health and Kinesiology, Purdue University 26

2Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, Northern Illinois University 27

28

29

30

31

This is the authors’ version of an article published in the Journal of Physical Education, 32 Recreation and Dance (Betourne, J., & Richards, K. A. R. (2015). Using autobiographical essays 33 to encourage student reflection on socialization experiences. Journal of Physical Education, 34 Recreation & Dance, 86(2), 34-40). The paper appears here in its pre-publication format in lieu 35 of the publisher’s version of the record. The published version can be found at: 36 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07303084.2014.988376#.VM_nV5PF9uA. 37 38


Abstract 39

Students enter physical education teacher education program with preconceived notions 40

related to what it means to be a physical education teacher that have been developed in response 41

to their own experiences in K-12 physical education. These preconceived notions may be flawed 42

or incomplete and, in order to be effective, physical education teacher education programs must 43

help preservice teachers question and critique their prior experiences. Reflection is a key 44

component of this process. Among other strategies, student autobiographical essays can help 45

preservice teachers to better understand the impact of their own socialization on their current 46

perspectives as aspiring teachers. This article elaborates on autobiography as a pedagogical tool 47

within physical education teacher education. An example student autobiography is presented and 48

the strategy is positioned within the framework of occupational socialization theory. 49

Key Words: reflection, preservice/professional preparation, physical education 50

51


Using Autobiographical Essays to Encourage Student Reflection on Socialization Experience 52

Students entering physical education teacher education (PETE) programs bring with them 53

preexisting conceptualizations related to the purpose of physical education (PE) and the role of 54

PE teachers (Schempp & Graber, 1992). These perspectives and beliefs form the basis for 55

students’ subjective theories through which the messages of teacher education are interpreted. 56

According to Grotjahn (1991), subjective theories are “complex cognitive structures that are 57

highly individual, relatively stable, and relatively enduring, and that fulfill the task of explaining 58

and predicting such human phenomena as action, reaction, thinking, emotion and perception” (p. 59

188). Students’ subjective theories begin to take shape prior to their entry into teacher education 60

programs and can be conceptualized as filters or sieves through which the messages of teacher 61

education are interpreted (Green, 2002). Messages that align with recruits’ subjective theories are 62

allowed to pass through the sieve and become incorporated with their existing perspectives. 63

However, those that do not align are often filtered out and do not become part of students’ belief 64

system (Richards, Templin, & Gaudreault, 2013; Schempp & Graber, 1992). 65

Since subjective theories begin to take shape prior to the initiation of teacher education, 66

they are based largely on recruits’ experiences with teaches, coaches, and other influential 67

socializing agents during their own K-12 education (Bullough & Pinnegar, 2001). As such, these 68

theories tend to replicate the more traditional forms of pedagogy that are commonplace in school 69

contexts (Graber, 2001). If teacher education programs are to effectively socialize recruits into 70

the adoption of current best practices and research-based pedagogies, subjective theories must be 71

addressed as part of teacher education (Richards et al., 2013). While numerous approaches can 72

be used for negotiating students’ subjective theories, the purpose of this paper is to present 73

autobiographical essay (Bullough & Pinnegar, 2001) as one strategy that can be adopted by 74


teacher educators. Through autobiographical essay, students can reexamine their prior 75

socialization experiences and reconsider the type of physical education teachers they want to 76

become. Autobiographical essay can be situated within the framework of occupational 77

socialization theory (OST), which addresses teachers’ recruitment and training for careers in PE. 78

Occupational Socialization Theory 79

OST is a theoretical framework used in PE that “seeks to understand the process whereby 80

the individual becomes a participating member of the society of teachers” (Zeichner & Gore, 81

1990, p. 329). OST postulates that the socialization process is dialectical in that individuals play 82

an active role in navigating their own socialization (Templin & Schempp, 1989). As such, 83

individuals have the capacity to both overtly and covertly resist by asserting their sense of 84

agency when experiencing socialization that runs counter to their current subjective theories 85

(Schempp & Graber, 1992; Stroot & Ko, 2006). Individuals’ socialization into PE is typically 86

described along three phases: acculturation, professional socialization, and organizational 87

socialization (Templin & Schempp, 1989). Organizational socialization, which pertains to formal 88

and informal socialization that takes place on the job and in the context of schools (Van Maanen 89

& Schein, 1979), is less relevant to the purpose of the current paper. 90

Acculturation 91

Acculturation refers to pretraining socialization that takes place prior to recruits’ decision 92

to pursue a career in PE (Lawson, 1983). Potential recruits interact with a variety of socializing 93

agents – such as teachers and coaches – who help to shape their understanding of what it means 94

to teach PE (Lortie, 1975). These interactions lay the foundation for recruits’ subjective theories 95

as they begin to understand the job responsibilities of a teacher (Grotjhan, 1991). These 96

perspectives, however, are often flawed or incomplete because recruits only have partial insight 97


into the technical cultural of teaching, and only limited knowledge of the sociopolitical context 98

of schools (Richards et al., 2013). Nevertheless, early experiences are critical for understanding 99

recruits perspectives on teaching, which led Curtner-Smith, Hastie, and Kinchin (2008) to refer 100

to acculturation as “the most potent type of socialization experienced by PE teachers” (p. 99). 101

Recruits’ perspectives related to teaching PE can also be examined in terms of the 102

relative importance of athletic coaching to their career objectives (Curtner-Smith, 2001, 2009). 103

PE recruits tend to lay along a spectrum ranging from coaching-oriented to teaching-oriented 104

(Richards & Templin, 2012). Recruits whose orientations are more coaching oriented view 105

coaching as their primary reason for pursuing PE teacher education (PETE), and see teaching as 106

a career contingency – something that they must do in order to sustain themselves financially 107

while they coach (Curtner-Smith, 2001). In contrast, individuals who develop teaching 108

orientations are more likely to have been exposed to high quality PE and, while they may have 109

aspirations to coach, view teaching as their primary responsibility (Curtner-Smith, 1997; 110

Richards & Templin, 2011). Recruits at the center of the spectrum view teaching and coaching as 111

important to their professional identities and are likely to pursue success in both arenas. 112

Professional Socialization 113

PE recruits enter professional socialization when they make the decision to pursue formal 114

teacher training, typically in a college or university setting (Lawson, 1983). During this time, 115

recruits are taught the knowledge, skills, and dispositions related to PE that are deemed 116

important by teacher education faculty (Lawson, 1986). Despite the best efforts of teacher 117

education faculty, professional socialization is often viewed as the weakest form of socialization 118

(Stran & Curtner-Smith, 2009). Subjective theories are difficult to change and, when confronted 119

with practices and beliefs with which they do not agree, recruits tend to covertly resist or 120


strategically comply so to appease teacher educators without allowing their own belief structures 121

to be changed (Graber, 1991). Recruits who develop coaching orientations during acculturation, 122

and those whose subjective theories emphasize traditional pedagogies and practices in PE, are 123

more likely to resist the message of teacher education (Graber, 1991; Stroot & Williamson, 124

1993). In response to recruits tendencies to resist components of PETE, Richards and colleagues 125

(2013) have recommended using strategies informed by constructivist theories of teaching in 126

order to work alongside preservice teachers and help them to critique and question their own 127

subjective theories. Among other strategies, autobiographical essays which prompt preservice 128

teachers to critically appraise their experiences during acculturation and early teacher education, 129

can help provoke student reflection and critical thinking (Bullough & Pinnegar, 2001). 130

Student Reflection and Autobiography 131

John Dewey (1933) is acknowledged as a key contributor to the modern 132

conceptualization of reflection. He considered reflection to be a special form of problem solving, 133

which requires the individual to think critically about an issue while actively drawing upon 134

knowledge and beliefs related to the situation (Alder, 1991). Building off of Dewey’s definition, 135

Hatton and Smith (1995) defined teacher reflection as “an active and deliberate cognitive 136

process, involving sequences of interconnected ideas which take account of underlying beliefs 137

and knowledge. Reflective thinking generally addresses practical problems, allowing for doubt 138

and perplexity before possible solutions are reached” (p. 34). Collier (2009) noted that reflection 139

has the potential to stimulate self-inquiry that aids preservice teachers in the development of a 140

professional identity. Reflection during teacher education has the potential to prompt students to 141

reexamine their subjective theories. 142


Drawing upon Bullough and Pinnegar’s (2001) conceptualization of autobiography as a 143

form of self-study, Richards and colleagues (Richards, Gaudreault, & Templin, in press; 144

Richards et al., 2013) proposed student-authored, autobiographical essays as one particular 145

strategy that could be used to encourage students to reflect upon and challenge the subjective 146

theories they develop as part of their experiences in K-12 PE. Autobiographical essays ask 147

students to reconsider their own socialization experiences during acculturation and the beginning 148

of professional socialization and prompt them to reflect upon how these experiences have shaped 149

their approach to PE and receptivity to PETE. The goal of such an approach is for the instructor 150

to guide preservice teachers through a process of self-critique and self-discovery that results in 151

the possible reconstruction of subjective theories. The instructor thus aids the students in the 152

process personal reflection, which recognizes students’ sense of agency and the dialectical nature 153

of the socialization process (Schempp & Graber, 1992). 154

Autobiography Integrated into a PE Course 155

Building upon the work of Richards and colleagues (Richards et al., in press; Richards et 156

al., 2013), the instructor of a PETE course focused on curriculum design and implementation 157

included student authored, autobiographical essays as a course assignment. There were 20 158

students enrolled in the course, most of whom were in their second year in the PETE program. 159

Broadly stated, the goal of the course was to introduce students to curriculum theory, common 160

curricular models, and related lesson planning and assessment techniques for school-based 161

physical education programs. Lund and Tannehill’s (2010) Standards-Based Physical Education 162

Curriculum Development was the primary text used in the course the course. The instructor used 163

autobiographical essays to help students examine their own socialization generally, with a 164

specific focus on how socialization experiences influences curricular decisions. 165


Leading up to the autobiography assignment, the instructor led discussions of 166

occupational socialization theory with a focus on acculturation and professional socialization, as 167

well as the development of subjective theories. In preparation for these discussions, students 168

were asked to read Curtner-Smith, Hastie, and Kinchin’s (2008) study, which provides an 169

overview of occupational socialization theory and describes the ways in which socialization 170

experiences impact teachers’ choice of curricular models and fidelity related to model 171

implementation. Students were also encouraged to consider and discuss individuals who played 172

an important role in their socialization and decision to pursue a career in PE. 173

Following these in-class discussions, students were introduced to the assignment and 174

presented the criteria upon which they would be evaluated. An excerpt of the assignment criteria 175

is presented in Figure 1. Students were asked to draft an essay in response the assignment 176

criteria, which was submitted for review by the course instructor. The instructor read each essay 177

and provided targeted feedback on how the essays could be improved. This feedback challenged 178

students to think more critically about certain topics they had introduced in their essays and 179

encouraged them to provide more in-depth explanations for why certain individuals or 180

experiences were important to their socialization. The instructor also held individual meetings 181

with students in order to review their essays and discuss their socialization experiences. 182

Following instructor feedback, students revised and resubmitted their essays for a final grading. 183

In order to more fully illustrate the autobiographical writing process used in this course, 184

one student’s essay has been included as part of this paper. The instructor worked with the 185

student to make editorial changes to the essay in preparation for publication, but the content 186

remained largely unchanged. For the purposes of this manuscript, the student author, Joshua, also 187

wrote a brief reaction to the autobiography assignment, which is included in Figure 2. Joshua’s 188


response provides some insight into his interpretation of the assignment and how he feels it 189

helped him to reflect on his acculturation and professional socialization experiences. It is our 190

hope that this provides PETE faculty with insights related to how autobiographical essays can 191

prompt preservice teachers to reflect on and critique their socialization experiences. 192

An Example Student Autobiography 193

Our past experiences have a direct impact on shaping who we become and the different 194

views we take toward PE. My own K-12 PE experienced assisted in generating a misguided 195

conceptualization of what it means to be a physical educator. I was primarily exposed to the 196

“roll-out-the-ball” way of teaching. The teacher just gave us a ball and let us play the games that 197

we wanted to play. There was not much of an emphasis placed on the applicability of PE to real 198

life situations, or the importance of the specific activities in which we participated. As a student, 199

this type of PE was fun because we went straight to gameplay without skill or tactical 200

development. I was highly skilled and did not think I needed to be taught anything new. 201

However, knowing what I know now, this type of teaching did not foster a productive or 202

effective learning environment. Further, it did not help to motivate students to be active outside 203

of class. I now understand why it is important for PE teachers to encourage activity outside of 204

school. However, not all students possess internal motivation with regards to physical activity. 205

Fortunately, I was intrinsically motivated to be active. Largely due to how they were taught, the 206

PE classes I took in school failed to accomplish this goal for most of my peers. 207

Most of my teachers, especially those I had in high school, also coaches and, reflecting 208

back on my interactions with them, they seemed to have strong coaching orientations. Since I 209

was an athlete, I was able to experience the teachers in both teaching and coaching settings. They 210

seemed to place more value on winning athletic events than creating an environment within PE 211


that sparked interest in daily physical activity. There was one specific time when my PE teacher, 212

who was also my head football coach, had our class walk laps around the gym while he talked to 213

me about the previous week’s game. At the time, I did not think much of it, but knowing what I 214

know now about quality PE, this was not an effective practice. Not only was he not teaching the 215

class, but he was favoring me, an athlete, over the rest of the students. 216

I did not become interested in pursuing a career in physical education until two years ago. 217

I was at a crossroads in my life in regard to career choice. I did not feel as if I was being 218

challenged in the job I held at the time and wanted to move into a line of work in which I would 219

be able to empower individuals to see the true value of including physical activity within their 220

lives. I made the decision to return to college and seek a degree in PE primarily because of the 221

experiences I had while I was employed as a fitness trainer at a local-area gym. One of the 222

classes that I taught was boot camp fitness. My goal was to teach them the skills they needed to 223

live a healthy lifestyle so they could continue to be active even after completing the course. In 224

today’s society most fitness programs seem to focus on getting people into the gym and neglect 225

the motivational component of physical activity. 226

During the time I directed the boot camp fitness course, I was afforded the opportunity to 227

witness positive and enduring change in several of the participants. I believe that my approach to 228

the class, which focused on empowering participants by teaching them both the physical and 229

knowledge components of a healthy lifestyle, helped them to come to the realization that hard-230

work and resolve are the most important way of achieving and sustaining a healthy lifestyle. 231

Based on this experience, I found myself motivated to empower people to enrich their lives 232

through physical activity. Inspired by my experience with the boot camp fitness course and 233

affinity for working with children, I had a revelation. I realized that becoming a physical 234


educator and coach was the intended purpose for my life. However, at this point, my perception 235

of what it meant to be a physical educator was sharply skewed because of the misguided 236

examples I have been exposed to throughout my childhood. As a result, I entered my teacher 237

education program with a strong coaching orientation. I believed that PE teachers were coaches 238

first while teaching came second as a way to pass the time during the day. 239

While I have only been enrolled in my teacher education program for about a year, my 240

experiences have had a profound impact on my perspectives related to the purpose and goals of 241

PE. Factors that have assisted in clarifying and molding my perspective include my college 242

professors, cooperating teachers, peers, and the classes in which I have enrolled. One class which 243

I found to be particularly motivating was “Teaching Fitness in PE.” In this class I learned what it 244

means to be an effective PE teacher in terms of teaching content in a way that makes it relevant 245

for students. The course aligned with my experiences as a fitness professional and related 246

directly to my initial motivation for coming into PE. The instructor went in to depth about 247

specific ways to teach students across grade levels the “how” and “why” of what they are being 248

taught in PE. I believe that the way in which the class was taught helped me to learn effectively. 249

The instructor’s passion for teaching students was unparalleled and she has played an important 250

role in my socialization. She has been influential helping to shift my orientation from coaching-251

focused to more balanced. Based on my experiences with this instructor and other instructors I 252

have had I now understand the importance of being both a good teacher and a good coach. 253

One of the most important components of my education thus far has been learning about 254

the various curricular models that can be used in PE. My university’s PETE program has been 255

very good at exposing its future physical educators to the many models available for use within 256

the gymnasium. For me, the activity classes in which we got to experience the models first hand 257


have been most helpful. These classes gave us an opportunity to experience sport education and 258

the tactical games approach. The tactical games approach was foreign to me, but the basic 259

structure is something that I have experienced in the context of sports. Similarly, given my 260

background in athletics, the tenants of sport education were very familiar to me and I found 261

myself drawn to it almost immediately. I most like the way the model can be used to give 262

students an opportunity to experience all facets of a sport. Beyond just playing, sport education 263

teaches students how to referee sports and take responsibility for game-day operations such as 264

scorekeeping and announcing. I appreciate how the model can be used to help students find their 265

niche within a sporting environment, albeit as a player, coach, referee, statistician, etc. 266

Becoming aware of the different models that can be used by physical educators helped 267

me to realize that I do not have to be a “roll-out-the-ball” type of teacher. Teachers can use 268

multiple models in order to give students a variety of experiences while also challenging them to 269

see the value in a lifetime full of physical activity. As I work toward my future career as a PE 270

teacher I am excited to use model-based instruction in order to motivate my students, similarly to 271

how I got the adults in my boot camp fitness class excited about physical activity. 272

My journey from deciding to be a physical educator has not been life-long. However, the 273

time that has passed has been filled with hard-work, dedication, and enthusiasm. My past 274

experiences and the people with whom I have interacted have molded my philosophy related to 275

PE in a variety of ways. Prior to beginning my college education, my orientation was very 276

skewed toward coaching due to my own experiences with teachers and coaches as a child. 277

However, the experiences I have had in PETE have taught me the importance of being both a 278

good teacher and a good coach. My acculturation and professional socialization have taught me a 279

great deal, and I anticipate learning more as I continue in the physical education profession. I 280


look forward to future opportunities to learn by pursuing a Master’s degree, attending 281

professional conferences, and collaborating with future colleagues. I anticipate that as I engage 282

in these experiences my perspectives will continue to be molded and shaped by those around me. 283

Regardless of who or what socializes me in the future, I know that I want to continue toward 284

being the best physical educator that I can be! 285

Discussion and Final Thoughts 286

The purpose of this paper was to present autobiographical essay as one strategy that can 287

be used to help preservice PE teachers critically appraise the socialization experiences that have 288

shaped their identities and orientations toward PE. Further, autobiographical essays may prompt 289

preservice teachers to reexamine their motivations for entering PETE and lead them to reflect 290

upon the type of teachers they want to become. Using recommendations forwarded by Bullough 291

and Pinneager (2001) the instructor of a PE curriculum course utilized autobiography, and an 292

essay written by one of the students was included to better illustrate the autobiography process. 293

The essay illustrates the reflective benefits of student autobiography, and several of the issues 294

raised also relate to prominent themes in the occupational socialization literature. 295

As is the case for many recruits who have been highly involved in team sports (Curtner-296

Smith, 2001), Joshua began his PE journey with what he perceived to be a coaching orientation. 297

He believes that his coaching orientation was further influenced by his physical education 298

teachers, who utilized a “roll-out-the-ball” style of teaching. While some evidence indicates that 299

teacher education tends to be the weakest form of socialization experienced by PE teachers 300

(Stran & Curtner-Smith, 2009), it appears to have been fairly successfully for Joshua. Interacting 301

with college faculty, cooperating teachers, and his peers helped him understand the importance 302

of being both a good teacher and coach. As a result, Joshua believes that his orientation had 303


become more balanced (Richards et al., 2013). Curricular models also appeared to be an 304

important component of Joshua’s PETE experience. Given Joshua’s background in sport, it is not 305

surprising that he was particularly attracted to sport education (Siedentop, Hastie, & van der 306

Mars, 2004) and the tactical games approach (Mitchell, Oslin, & Griffin, 2006) as both of these 307

models mirror aspects of the sport experience. This aligns with Curtner-Smith and colleagues’ 308

(2008) finding that socialization experiences can influence curricular model preferences. 309

Given that recruits enter teaching training with fairly stable subjective theories about 310

teaching PE that are often incomplete or flawed (Grotjhan, 1991; Richards et al., 2013), it is 311

critical that teacher educators help them to challenge and interrogate their belief systems. 312

Recruits must be encouraged consider the role that their prior experiences have in shaping their 313

current conceptualization of physical education (Hatton & Smith, 1995). The process employed 314

to prompt this type of reflection must be active and deliberate, and prompt individuals to 315

critically appraise their experiences, knowledge, and belief systems in relation to new knowledge 316

(Alder, 1991). As such, reflection opportunities must be intentionally structured within PETE. 317

Student autobiography can help preservice teachers understand their current perspectives on 318

teaching PE in light of their socialization experiences. By understanding how they developed the 319

perspectives they currently hold, preservice teachers may be more willing to critique their 320

subjective theories. This critique can help preservice teachers to reconsider their career goals and 321

the ways in which they want to teach physical education in the future. 322

When structuring autobiography assignments, instructors should bear in mind the 323

dialectical nature of the socialization process (Schempp & Graber, 1992). In order for the 324

assignment to be truly beneficial for students they must feel comfortable writing in an open and 325

honest manner. Students who feel as if the instructor is looking for something specific in their 326


essays, such as evidence of a teaching orientation, are likely to strategically comply by writing 327

what they perceive the instructor wants to read (Graber, 1991). In such a situation the student 328

would fail to truly interrogate their belief system and is unlikely to question their existing 329

subjective filter. As such, autobiographies should be evaluated based on the inclusion of certain 330

criteria (such as those described in Figure 1) and the depth of the reflection. Reflective writing 331

rubrics, such as the one created by the National Council for Teachers of English (2006), can be 332

adapted to evaluate assignment criteria as well as reflection. 333

While autobiographical essay is one viable approach to encouraging students to reflect, it 334

is not the only such approach. The reflective process should be ongoing throughout students’ 335

PETE experience. Richards and colleagues (in press) outline a four-part seminar series focused 336

on induction seeks to encourage reflection and prepare students for life in classrooms. Integral to 337

this process is emersion in field-based learning experiences. Reflective exercises, such as 338

autobiography, should be used strictly to supplement rather than replace field experiences. No 339

amount of reading, writing, and discussion can be substituted for time spent interacting with 340

children and learning in the context of schools. However, when used in conjunction with field-341

based learning, reflective exercises have the potential to enhance learning and promote transfer 342

of knowledge (Collier, 2009; Hatton & Smith, 1995). As such, teacher educators may consider 343

using student-authored autobiographies to encourage students to think critically about the impact 344

of socialization experiences on their teaching practices and beliefs. Finally, autobiographical 345

essays have the added benefit of helping PETE faculty get to know their students better. 346

Students’ essays overview their formative experiences which can provide insight into their 347

development of their subjective theories and reasons for their current approaches to physical 348

education. Faculty can use this information to develop better relationships with their students. 349


References 350 351

Alder, S. (1991). The reflective practitioner and the curriculum of teacher education. Journal of 352

Education for Teaching, 17, 139-150. 353

Bullough, R. V., & Pinnegar, S. (2001). Guidelines for quality autobiographical forms of self-354

study research. Educational Researcher, 30(3), 13-21. 355

Collier, C. (2009). Teacher learning within an inquiry model of PETE. In L. D. Housner, M. 356

Metzler, P. G. Schempp & T. J. Templin (Eds.), Historic traditions and future directions 357

of research on teaching and teacher education in physical education (pp. 357-364). 358

Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology. 359

Curtner-Smith, M. (1997). The impact of biography, teacher education, and organizational 360

socialization on the perspectives and practices of first-year physical education teachers: 361

Case studies of recruits with coaching orientations. Sport, Education and Society, 2, 73-362

94. 363

Curtner-Smith, M. (2001). The occupational socialization of a first-year physical education 364

teacher with a teaching orientation. Sport, Education and Society, 6, 81-105. 365

Curtner-Smith, M. (2009). Breaking the cycle of non-teaching physical education teachers: 366

Lessons to be learned from the occupational socialization literature. In L. D. Housner, M. 367

Metzler, P. G. Schempp & T. J. Templin (Eds.), Historic traditions and future directions 368

of research on teaching and teacher education in physical education (pp. 221-225). 369

Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology. 370

Curtner-Smith, M., Hastie, P., & Kinchin, G. D. (2008). Influence of occupational socialization 371

on beginning teachers' interpretation and delivery of sport education. Sport, Education 372

and Society, 13, 97-117. 373


Dewey, J. (1933). How we think: A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the 374

educative process. Boston, MA: D.C. Health. 375

Graber, K. (1991). Studentship in preservice teacher education: A qualitative study of 376

undergraduates in physical education. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 62, 41-377

51. 378

Graber, K. (2001). Research on teaching in physical education. In V. Richardson (Ed.), 379

Handbook of research on teaching (4th ed., pp. 491-519). Washington, DC: American 380

Educational Research Association. 381

Green, K. (2002). Physical education teachers in their figurations: A sociological analysis of 382

everyday "philosophies". Sport, Education and Society, 7, 65-83. 383

Grotjhan, R. (1991). The research programme subjective theories: A new approach in second 384

language research. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 13, 187-214. 385

Hatton, N., & Smith, D. (1995). Reflection in teacher education: Towards definition and 386

implementation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 11, 33-49. 387

Lawson, H. A. (1983). Toward a model of teacher socialization in physical education: The 388

subjective warrant, recruitment, and teacher education (part 1). Journal of Teaching in 389

Physical Education, 2(3), 3-16. 390

Lawson, H. A. (1986). Occupational socialization and the design of teacher education programs. 391

Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 5, 107-116. 392

Lortie, D. C. (1975). Schoolteacher: A sociological study. Chicago: University of Chicago 393

Press. 394

Lund, J., & Tannehill, D. (2010). Standards-based physical education curriculum (2nd ed.). 395

Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett. 396


Mitchell, S. A., Oslin, J. L., & Griffin, L. (2006). Teaching sport concepts and skills: A tactical 397

games approach (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. 398

National Council for Teachers of English. (2006). Reflective writing rubric. Retrieved 9 399

January 2014, from 400

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson963/Rubric.pdf 401

Richards, K. A. R., Gaudreault, K. L., & Templin, T. J. (in press). Understanding the realities of 402

teaching: A seminar series focused on induction. Journal of Physical Education, 403

Recreation and Dance. 404

Richards, K. A. R., & Templin, T. J. (2011). The influence of a state mandated induction 405

assistance program on the socializarion of a beginning physical education teacher. 406

Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 20, 340-357. 407

Richards, K. A. R., & Templin, T. J. (2012). Toward a multidimensional perspective on teacher-408

coach role conflict. Quest, 64, 164-176. 409

Richards, K. A. R., Templin, T. J., & Gaudreault, K. L. (2013). Organizational challenges and 410

role conflict: Recommendations for the preparation of physical education teachers. 411

Quest, 65, 442-457. 412

Schempp, P. G., & Graber, K. (1992). Teacher socialization from a dialectical perspective: 413

Pretraining through induction. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 11, 329-348. 414

Siedentop, D., Hastie, P. A., & van der Mars, H. (2004). Complete guide to sport education. 415

Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. 416

Stran, M., & Curtner-Smith, M. D. (2009). Influence of occupational socialization on two 417

preservice teachers' interpretation and delivery of the sport education model. Journal of 418

Teaching in Physical Education, 28, 38-53. 419


Stroot, S. A., & Ko, B. (2006). Induction of beginning physical education teachers into the 420

school setting. In D. Kirk, D. Macdonald & M. O'Sullivan (Eds.), The handbook of 421

physical education (pp. 425-448). London, England: Sage Publications. 422

Stroot, S. A., & Williamson, K. M. (1993). Issues and themes of socialization into physical 423

education. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 12, 337-343. 424

Templin, T. J., & Schempp, P. G. (Eds.). (1989). Socialization into physical education: 425

Learning to teach. Indianapolis, IN: Benchmark Press. 426

Van Maanen, J., & Schein, E. (1979). Toward a theory of organizational socialization. In B. 427

Staw (Ed.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 1, pp. 209-261). Greenwich, CT: 428

JAI Press. 429

Zeichner, K. M., & Gore, J. M. (1990). Teacher socialization. In W. R. Houston, M. Haberman 430

& J. Sikula (Eds.), Handbook of research on teacher education (pp. 329-348). New York: 431

Macmillan Publishing Company. 432

433 434


As a prospective PE teacher, you have likely encountered numerous people who have helped to 435 shape the type of teacher that you will become. These individuals likely include your own 436 teachers, coaches, and counselors; as well as teacher educators and your classmates during 437 teacher education. As you work toward becoming a teacher, it is important to understand the 438 types of factors that influence your orientation toward PE, the way that you teach, and how you 439 view particular approaches to teaching PE. The purpose of this assignment is to encourage you to 440 reflect critically on your own socialization experiences. 441 442 You should consider a variety of factors – including the teachers, coaches, counselors, teacher 443 educators, etc. – that have been influential in your lives. With regards to your professional 444 socialization, consider the impact that teacher education has had on your orientation to teaching 445 as well as the way in which you may have resisted certain elements of your training that do not 446 align with your orientation. The questions below can be used to both structure and guide your 447 essay. Bear in mind that there are no right or wrong answers to these questions and you are not 448 required to answer every question. Your essay will be evaluated based on the depth of thought 449 and evidence of critical thinking. Please feel free to structure your essay however you think will 450 best represent your experiences. 451 452 Acculturation – Prior to enrolling in teacher training 453

1. Describe PE at the school(s) that you attended. Was it a good experience or a bad one? 454 Describe the teachers. Do you think they were effective? 455

2. Did you play sports growing up? Which ones? What role did your sport experiences have 456 in your decision to become a PE teacher? 457

3. Describe your decision to pursue a career in PE. Why did you make the decision? Who 458 influenced you? 459

4. What did you think that it meant to be a PE teacher when you made the decision to enter 460 the field? Looking back, do you think that you had an accurate or inaccurate 461 conceptualization of what it means to teach PE? Explain. 462

5. Do you believe that you came to teacher education with a teaching orientation, a 463 coaching orientation, or a balanced orientation? Explain. 464

465 Professional Socialization – Time in teacher training 466

1. What classes, instructors, or other students have had an important impact on helping you 467 learn to be a teacher? How have these experiences shaped your orientation to teaching? 468

2. Have you encountered any instructors or specific perspectives that you disagree with? 469 Did you do anything (overtly or covertly) to voice your disagreement? 470

3. Have you encountered any approaches to teaching PE (e.g., curricular models) that you 471 really like or dislike? What has led you to view the models in this way? 472

4. Have you participated in any field experiences that have shaped your orientations or 473 expectations for teaching PE? Explain 474

5. What has been the impact of the teacher education program on helping you to develop as 475 a teacher? Explain. 476

6. How have your experiences impacted the way that you view teaching with curricular 477 models? (Given the focus of the class, this is perhaps the most important question) 478

479 Figure 1. Overview of the autobiography assignment provided to students 480


Reflection is a practice that is often neglected due how fast paced our society has become. Often 481 times, individuals are quick to move on to the next order of business before allowing themselves 482 appropriate time to consider the implications of past experiences on future endeavors. I found the 483 soicalization assignment to be valuable in that it got me to think more critically about my past 484 experiences and current orientations toward PE. The more I was asked to dig into my 485 acculturation and professional socialization experiences, I came to realize how much these 486 particular periods in my life had influenced my viewpoints, philosophies, and approaches to 487 teaching PE. Being afforded the opportunity to reflect on past and current experiences has also 488 allowed me to better articulate my philosophies related to PE. For example, I realized that my 489 past experiences in PE and past PE teachers had more of an influence on my philosophy than I 490 realized. I now understand that I had a coaching orientation when I entered PETE. However, my 491 experiences in my undergraduate program have helped me to question my beliefs and focus on 492 being a good teacher and coach. Importantly, this assignment has shown me just how important 493 socialization is in shaping an individuals’ perspectives and beliefs. The people that we interact 494 with and spend time around are incredibly important in influencing the type of people we 495 become. Spending time reflecting on past and current experiences can provide valuable insight 496 and allow individuals to identify specific experiences that have been influential in their lives and 497 the implications of those experiences on an their viewpoints, philosophies, and methods. 498 499 Figure 2. Josh’s reaction to the acculturation essay assignment 500

Using Autobiographical Essays to Encourage Student Reflection on Socialization Experience

Documents