Occupational Socialization and the Physical Education Student Teacher

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this study was to assess the physical education student teacher's Pupil Control Ideology (PCI) prior to and after student teaching and to examine the cooperating teacher's role as a socialization agent. PCI was examined by the Pupil Control Ideology Form which assesses the ideology on a continuum from custodialism to humanism. In addition, observational and interview data were collected in order to make further comparisons with PCI data. The results indicate that the subjects (N = 28) became significantly more custodial in their PCI during student teaching. When compared to cooperating teacher scores, student teachers' mean PCI scores were significantly different on pretest analyses (in a humanistic direction), but not on posttest analyses. Furthermore, PCI results from subjects selected for field observation indicated that the humanistic group moved in a custodial direction, while the custodial group moved in a humanistic direction. Finally, observation and interview data support the quantitative findings and the student teacher's maintenance of or shift toward a custodial control ideology, as influenced by the cooperating teacher and other factors particular to the physical education setting.