Investigating the Factors that Influence Pre-service Teachers’ Physical Activity Participation

Abstract

In meeting the daily movement needs in early years, it is important to consider the factors that affect the competencies of teachers' physical skills and examine the effects of those factors on teacher’s attitudes which could be detrimental for their future teaching practices. The study aimed to investigate the factors critical for pre-service teacher’s participation to physical activities and the effects of those factors on their future teaching. Twenty-eight pre-service teachers who registered to the Physical Education and Games course were participated in the study. The data was collected through autobiographical narratives which includes the individual stories of each participant regarding their physical activity participation. The findings of the study indicated that family and social environment and environmental factors play an important role for participation of physical activities and they can be critical in shaping the future teaching practices of pre-service teachers. The effects of those factors were discussed in depth and some suggestions were given.

Keywords

• fiziksel aktiviteye katılım, okul öncesi, öğretmen adayları