Preservice physical education teachers’ perceptions of initial teacher education

The purpose of this study was to investigate preservice physical education teachers’ perceptions of initial teacher education and its impact on their professional lives and teachers’ identities at the end of their school placement. It was also the aim of this study to identify school placement contributing factors and key actors in the formation of professional identities. The sample was composed of 272 preservice teachers in their final year of the master's in teaching physical education at a Portuguese university. We collected data through a questionnaire that included closed- and open-ended questions regarding six aspects of the teaching profession and initial teacher education: agents of training; components of teacher education; roles of teachers; motivation for teaching; conceptions of teaching and learning; and changes experienced during this period. Quantitative data were statistically analysed for measures of central tendency, and the responses to the open-ended question were analysed through thematic content analysis. The findings revealed: that preservice teachers considered the cooperating teacher to be the most important agent of training; that the teaching practicum experience was the most important component of teacher education; that delivering universal values was an essential role of teachers; that they had an intrinsic motivation for teaching; that they perceived a constructivist approach to teaching; and that the most meaningful change they experienced during their education was an improvement in soft skills. With the results, we conclude that professional socialisation influenced how the participants performed as teachers.