Attitudes of physical education teachers and student teachers regarding digital media in physical education

Abstract The contemporary digital environment of children and adolescents highlights the need for media education in schools, including physical education (PE). PE teachers’ attitudes have been identified as an important factor for the implementation of digital media in PE. Research on these attitudes is growing but lacks a comprehensive review. Thus, this systematic review addresses this gap in literature by identifying, summarizing and evaluating evidence on PE teachers’ and PE student teachers’ (preservice teachers) attitudes towards digital media since 2006. A systematic search of German and English literature was conducted across six databases (Web of Science, ERIC, Sportdiskus, FIS-Bildung, PsycInfo, and SURF (BISP)), along with manual searches and reviews of reference lists. Inclusion criteria were: English or German articles published between 2006 and 2023, focusing on (preservice) PE teachers’ attitudes towards digital media, using qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods, and including journal articles, collected volumes, dissertations, and monographies. Study quality was assessed with a modified version of the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool version 2018. The review identified 33 articles, predominantly quantitative studies, mainly focusing on secondary school teachers. These studies primarily examined ownership, accessibility, utilization, and integration of digital media in PE, primarily focusing on information and communication technologies. (Preservice) PE teachers generally held positive attitudes, though some negative sentiments were due to feelings of incompetence, lack of knowledge, time constraints, and technical issues. Attitudes were influenced by internal and external factors such as age or school types. This review provides a solid foundation for future research and the development of training programs to enhance (preservice) PE teachers’ skills and improve media education integration in PE classes.