Empowering Elementary Classroom Teachers to Teach Quality Physical Education

Overview & Synopsis

This study examines the effectiveness of a professional development program, the Physical Education Teacher Itinerant Program, for elementary classroom teachers in Southern California. The purpose of this program was to equip elementary classroom teachers to teach purposeful physical education. The California Legislature has given every elementary school district the option to either employ a physical education specialist or have the credentialed elementary classroom teachers teach the mandated physical education instruction for grades 1-6 (Cal. Educ. Code 51210.2., 2003). Several studies support hands-on training for improving teacher confidence to deliver quality physical education and increase student physical activity (Escriva-Boulley et al., 2018; Sallis et al., 1997). This study used a 5-point Likert scale survey to gauge 156 elementary classroom teachers' perceptions of their preparedness to teach physical education and implement developmentally appropriate physical education curriculum. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze teacher confidence levels, perceptions of preparedness, and satisfaction in teaching physical education. The results of the survey indicated that the classroom teachers were generally satisfied with the training and perceived it as beneficial for implementing developmentally appropriate physical education in their classrooms. This study can be used to inform districts of the value of embedded professional development programs in empowering elementary classroom teachers to deliver high-quality physical education.