Australian Journal of Teacher Education - Issue 2 - Article 3 - Abstract, Introduction, and Study Findings

Oct 15, 2026

The article examines how combinations of commitment, resilience, and subjective well-being function as individual resources for prospective physical education teachers. It analyzes whether distinct behavioral and experience patterns can be identified among prospective teachers, compares physical education students with other sport-student groups, and evaluates potential gender-related differences. Based on interviews with 851 sport students, latent profile analysis yields four profiles confirmed by discriminant analysis. Significant differences appear across study course proportions, while gender differences in profile distribution were not found.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Method and Results

Findings and Gender Differences

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 43 | Issue 2 | Article 3 | | --- | --- | 2018 Individual’s Patterns of Commitment, Resilience and Subjective Well-being of Prospective Physical Education Teachers Britta Fischer German Sport University Cologne, Germany, [b.fischer@dshs-koeln.de](b.fischer@dshs-koeln.de) Miriam Bisterfeld German Sport University Cologne, Germany, [bisterfeld-miri@gmx.de](bisterfeld-miri@gmx.de) Oliver Staab Center for Educational Psychology Düsseldorf, Germany, [oliverstaab@aol.com](oliverstaab@aol.com) Recommended Citation Fischer, B., Bisterfeld, M., & Staab, O. (2018). Individual’s Patterns of Commitment, Resilience and Subjective Well-being of Prospective Physical Education Teachers. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 43 (2). [http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2018v43n2.3](http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2018v43n2.3) This Journal Article is posted at Research Online. [http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol43/iss2/3](http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol43/iss2/3) Australian Journal of Teacher Education Individual’s Patterns of Commitment, Resilience and Subjective Wellbeing of Prospective Physical Education Teachers Britta Fischer Miriam Bisterfeld Oliver Staab German Sport University Cologne, Germany Abstract: To a greater or lesser extent, specific combinations of commitment, resilience and subjective well-being represent favorable individual resources in order to cope with professional demands. Prior studies have identified different patterns of these behaviors and experiences. The present study deals with the question whether these patterns are also identifiable in prospective physical education (PE) teachers. In addition, differences between physical education students and sport students with other career goals are examined. Lastly, the study concentrates on the existence of specific gender related differences within the group of student teachers. For this purpose, 851 sport students were interviewed. The results of the Latent Profile Analysis refer to a solution with four profiles which could be verified with the help of a discriminant analysis. Comparing the proportion of the profiles according to different courses of studies, significant differences are detected. Gender differences with regard to the distribution of identified profiles could not be found. Introduction In Western industrial nations, school teachers have to accomplish complex tasks with multiple objectives under varying conditions (Oesterreich, 2015; OECD, 2005) . For example, teachers must contribute to the fulfillment of the educational responsibility of schools, they must be experts on their subjects, they must individually convey knowledge and skills to all students, and they must interdisciplinarily nurture metacognitive, motivational and social competencies (Hüber & Käser, 2015). In doing so, teachers must be able to productively handle uncertainties and unscheduled events in the classroom with regard to in-class activities, the achievement of intended learning objectives as well as actual failures. In addition to these more general aspects which place pressure on all teachers, PE teachers must deal with further stress factors such as noise exposure and low levels of appreciation, as well as higher demands concerning the organization of in-class activities (Oesterreich, 2015) . Thus, especially from a perspective considering health implications, a well-developed ability to deal with demands, i.e. psychological self-regulation, is very significant. In addition to this perspective, different authors postulate that self-regulation in dealing with demands is also relevant concerning the quality of teaching (Klusmann, Kunter, Trautwein & Baumert, 2006; Klusmann, Kunter, Trautwein, Lüdtke & Baumert, 2008; Maslach & Leiter, 1999; Oesterreich, 2015) . Consequently, it is important that the ability of prospective teachers to deal with stress is examined during teachers’ co

FAQs

What does the study investigate about prospective physical education teachers?

It investigates whether patterns of commitment, resilience, and subjective well-being can be identified in prospective physical education teachers. It also checks differences across student groups and whether gender-related differences exist.

How many participants were interviewed, and what method was used?

The study interviewed 851 sport students. Latent Profile Analysis produced four profiles, verified with discriminant analysis.

What were the key results regarding study course differences and gender differences?

Significant differences were found in the proportions of profiles across different courses of study. Gender differences in the distribution of the identified profiles were not found.

Oct 15, 2026

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