Socialisation and learning to teach using the teaching personal and social responsibility approach

Occupational socialisation theory (OST) is a dialectical approach to understanding teachers’ recruitment, training, and lived experiences in school settings. Research using this model has shown that socialisation influences how physical educators interpret or ‘read’ pedagogical models. However, this research has not been extended to the teaching personal and social responsibility (TPSR) model, which differs from other models in its concurrent focus on responsibility and physical activity outcomes. This study, therefore, sought to understand how physical educators learned to use the model in light of current and prior socialisation. Participants included eight physical education teachers (five females, three males) from two schools in New Zealand. Data collection included four individual interviews with each teacher and systematic and ethnographic observations of teaching. Results indicated that prior socialisation and influences within the current school influenced fidelity to the TPSR model. Social support and alignment of the model with other school initiatives supported implementation, whereas a lack of clarity and competing priorities reduced fidelity. Results are discussed in relation to OST, and future directions for research are proposed.