Occupational socialization in pre-service physical education teachers

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in occupational socialization (OS) among pre-service physical education teachers' (PPETs) in four year groups. 238 PPETs from a Chinese university. An online survey and the semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The younger PPETs felt more prepared and believed in the benefit of professional development more than the older PPETs. The PPETs' acculturation had a critical influence on their OS. The lack of early field experience may explain why the seniors felt less confident than their younger counterparts. This study would contribute a new angle to discuss the OS and physical education teacher education program quality, especially the design of the teaching practice opportunities, together.

Automated summary

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in occupational socialization among pre-service physical education teachers in different year groups. The study found that younger pre-service teachers felt more prepared and believed more in the benefits of professional development compared to their older counterparts. Acculturation had a critical influence on the occupational socialization of the pre-service teachers. The lack of early field experience may explain why older students felt less confident than their younger counterparts.