Continuing Professional Development for Physical Education Teachers in China: Basis for Teaching Enhancement Program

Abstract

In pursuit of life-long learning, the teaching profession requires continuing education for institutional promotion, salary increase, and administrative position. Supportive academic institutions increase their teacher’s professional learning in the 21st century to increase their students’ further education and work as well. China consistently invested in their teachers’ professional development but empirical evidence on these programs’ effectivity is limited. Specifically, there is a demand for more quality professional development (PD) opportunities for PE teachers focused on the following reasons: (a) the education standards movement, (b) professional organizations, and (c) a call for research on teaching. Apparently, in China, most of them have not recognized their leading role and undervalued their educational career. Thus, this study revisited the impact of the PD programs in China focusing focus its lens on the continuing professional development (CPD) of physical education teachers to address the urgent call to improve the PE-CPD. Guided by the global Continuing Professional Development (CPD) framework, this study investigated the continuing professional development provided to physical education teachers in China and the results of this investigation would be the basis for their teaching enhancement program. The findings revealed that most of the PE teachers in China were male, middle aged with relative bachelor’s degree and permanent position, and developing teachers with 1-10 years teaching experience. They partly considered their involvement in skill development opportunities and interaction and collaboration, but highly considered their involvement in personal growth and reflection in their continuing professional development. Their level of involvement in continuing professional development were significantly different considering their age, sex, educational attainment, and years of teaching. Moreover, the found professional development about classroom management very effective and impactful but teaching practices about ICT skills has minimal effectiveness. However, there is a significant difference in the evaluation of PE teachers on the effectivity of the professional development when they are grouped according to their age, educational attainment, and years of teaching. Nevertheless, the significant relationship found between the their involvement in professional development (PD) and evaluation on the effectivity of the professional development became the basis for the strategic factors to be integrated in the teaching enhancement program for the CPD of PE teachers in the new normal.