Influence of Institution Type on Faculty Members’ Philosophy of Physical Education Teacher Education

Purpose : This study’s purpose was to investigate the influence of institution type on faculty members’ philosophy and implementation of physical education teacher education. Method : Participants were 10 faculty members located at American universities that differed in terms of size, focus, and location. Data were collected with four techniques and analyzed using analytic induction and constant comparison. Results : Main findings included the identification of teaching first mentalities, the exploration of two types of educational philosophies (realism and pragmatic idealism), and the uncovering of how and why those philosophies shifted, were enhanced, or remained stagnant. We also identified four types of socialization stories that existed in American higher education that cut across different types of academic institution. Conclusion : This research yields new insights into the nature of faculty socialization and infers that there is still a mountain of knowledge within the secondary organizational socialization stage that has yet to be explored.