The development of pedagogical content knowledge in novice physical education teachers in Hong Kong secondary schools

This study investigated pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) development in four novice physical education (PE) teachers in Hong Kong secondary schools during their initial teaching year and identify a trigger for their PCK development. The research used communities of practice (CoP) (Wenger, 1998) as theoretical framework that serves as a mechanism for examining how the learning and teaching of PE occurs in secondary schools and at the same time demands that we consider learning in schools as participation (Lave & Wenger, 1992). The four participants were purposefully selected for their involvement and interest in implementing innovative model-based instruction in their teaching. Data collection included completion of WebGrid, collection of lesson plans, videotaped lessons, and written reflections. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in the beginning, at the middle and at the end between the periods from March to November 2010. Analysis was informed by theories of CoP (Wenger,1998) and an analytical framework of PCK adapted from Shulman (1986, 1987); Grossman (1990, 1995) and Turner-Bisset (1999, 2001). Constant comparation and analytic induction were the techniques used to organize and categorize the data (Glesne and Peshkin, 1992; Patton, 1990). The investigator utilized several strategies to establish the trustworthiness of results: triangulation, peer debriefing, and member checks. Emergent themes revealed that teachers typically spent most of their effort in classroom management. Technical aspects of pedagogy were a priority for the teachers in this study. They act as traditional Chinese, like to keep their knowledge implicit and were willing to share it informally in their schools. The teaching techniques they adopted were influenced by their PE teaching colleagues instead of utilize their knowledge and skills learnt from the PE Teacher Education (TE) programme. The innovative model-based instruction was thought as ineffective in their teaching. The subject matter was considered as the least useful in their teaching. This study raises questions regarding the development of induction programmes for PE teachers to develop their PCK in response to the Education Reform in Hong Kong and proposes that Chinese cultural influences should be considered as a foundation from which to build knowledge communities in Hong Kong schools.