Washing Up: Deciding on a Career in Higher Education

Overview & Synopsis

Scholars have identified Physical Education (PE) as a marginalized subject within schools. This may lead to feelings of isolation, marginalization and reality shock and may end in washing out of best practice or exiting from the profession altogether. Some Physical Educators choose to leave the K-12 classroom and pursue a career in teacher education. The authors have conceptualized the upward movement into Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) as "washing up". This phenomenon is examined through the lens of Occupational Socialization Theory (OST) to better understand PETE doctoral students and PETE faculty members' career paths. Two types of trajectories for DPETE students and PETE faculty are discussed. Type 1 have had no K-12 teaching experience, whereas Type 2 have had at least 1 year of K-12 teaching experience. This manuscript is the beginning of a conversation to better understand career paths in PETE with numerous implications for research.