Perceived social-ecological barriers of generalist pre-service teachers towards teaching physical education: findings from the GET-PE study

Identifying and understanding the perceptions of pre-service teachers (PSTs) is vital to informing teaching practices. The purpose of the ‘Generalist Entry into Teaching Physical Education’ (GET-PE) study was to investigate Australian generalist PSTs' perceptions of the barriers to teaching physical education (PE) classes. A socialecological model framework (SEM) was uniquely applied as the conceptual framework for the GET-PE study to analyse, explore and understand the multiple levels of barriers perceived by the generalist PSTs. A myriad of SEM level barriers were perceived by the generalist PSTs (n=71) at the intrapersonal level (knowledge gaps, physical abilities, reduced confidence), interpersonal level (community influence, concentration/focus of students, inclusive teaching, misbehaviour, modelling effective practice, motivation of students), physical environment level (technology/screen time, weather) and policy levels (balancing content, professional development opportunities, recognition of PE, work-life balance). With mounting demands on schools, PSTs must continually improve preparation and readiness for teaching practical subjects such as PE. By developing multi-level SEM insight from the GET-PE study into the barriers for generalist PSTs to teaching PE, teacher education programs can reflect upon the socialisation processes for PSTs and facilitate learning environments that meet the needs of our future teachers.