Conceptions of teaching: A profile of pre-service physical education teachers in Hong Kong

Conceptions of teaching are mental models which people hold concerning teaching. Various models have been proposed as frameworks to explore the conceptions of teaching held by teachers. The importance of this type of research is based on the assumption that teachers' behaviours are guided by their conceptions of teaching and therefore, would influence students learning. It is commonly viewed that pre-service teachers go through changes in their belief systems as they pass through the passage of teacher education. As teacher's belief system may affect their ultimate actions in the classroom, it would be of interest to identify the types of belief changes they make. Included in these models are specific thought representations related to the "action", "belief" and "intention" aspects of teaching (Pratt, 1992). Whereas many factors could influence a teachers process of professional socialization, this study sets out to present a profile of pre-service physical educators' conceptions of teaching and to examine whether gender and practicum experience contribute to differences in conceptions of teaching.