Perceived Social-Ecological Barriers of Generalist Pre-Service Teachers towards Teaching Physical Education - Findings from the GET-PE study

Oct 15, 2026

Identifying and understanding pre-service teachers’ perceptions is essential for shaping effective teaching practices. The GET-PE study investigates how Australian generalist pre-service teachers perceive barriers to teaching physical education, applying a social ecological model (SEM) as the guiding framework to interpret multiple barrier levels. Participants (n=71) reported intrapersonal, interpersonal, physical environment, and policy-level constraints, including knowledge gaps, confidence, community influence, screen time and weather, and issues related to curriculum balance, professional learning opportunities, recognition of PE, and work-life balance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

The Social-Ecological Model (SEM) Approach

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 42 | Issue 7 | Article 3 | | --- | --- | 2017 Perceived Social-Ecological Barriers of Generalist Pre-Service Teachers towards Teaching Physical Education: Findings from the GET-PE study Brendon P. Hyndman School of Education, Southern Cross University, [brendon.hyndman@scu.edu.au](brendon.hyndman@scu.edu.au) Recommended Citation Hyndman, B. P. (2017). Perceived Social-Ecological Barriers of Generalist Pre-Service Teachers towards Teaching Physical Education: Findings from the GET-PE study. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 42 (7). [http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2017v42n7.3](http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2017v42n7.3) This Journal Article is posted at Research Online. [http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol42/iss7/3](http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol42/iss7/3) Australian Journal of Teacher Education Perceived Social-Ecological Barriers of Generalist Pre-Service Teachers towards Teaching Physical Education: Findings from the GET-PE study Brendon Hyndman Southern Cross University Abstract: Identifying and understanding the perceptions ofpre-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 social ecological 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. Introduction Identifying and understanding the perceptions and beliefs of pre-service teachers (PSTs) is vital to informing teaching practices (Tsangaridou, 2012; Hyndman, 2014; Hyndman & Pill, 2016) . Despite this importance and a host of research into the barriers to inservice physical education (PE) teachers, there has been an absence of research exploring Australian generalist (classroom) primary PSTs’ perceptions oftheir future roles asfacilitators of PE (McMahon & Dinan Thompson, 2014; Haynes, Miller, & Varea, 2016) . It is widely reported that PE is largely taught by generalist primary school teachers and many primary school teachers require improved skills and preparation to teach PE (Graber, Locke, Lambdin, & Solmon, 2008; McKenzie & Kahan, 2008) . In Australian primary schools, it has been revealed that almost 40% of those teaching Health and Physical Education (HPE) are not a qualified HPE specialist, yet can be responsible for part or all ofthe HPE learning area (Lynch, 2013) . In-service primary school teachers have been reported to lack foundation PE knowledge, pedagogical capabilities, professional development opportunities and can exhibit reduced confidence in teaching PE (Graber et al., 2008; McKenzie & Kahan, 2008) . The experiences and knowledge learned during physical education teacher education (PETE) Vol 42, 7, July 2017 26 Australian Journal of Teacher Education programs influence the

FAQs

What does the GET-PE study focus on?

The GET-PE study examines Australian generalist pre-service teachers’ perceptions of barriers to teaching physical education (PE) classes.

How does the study use the social-ecological model?

A social ecological model (SEM) framework is applied to analyze and understand barriers at multiple levels that shape the pre-service teachers’ experiences.

Which barrier levels are reported by participants?

Participants reported barriers across intrapersonal, interpersonal, physical environment, and policy levels, including factors such as knowledge gaps, confidence, community influence, technology/screen time, and policy-related constraints.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by 4398046744996