Thesis

Becoming - activist : the journeys of two teachers in their enactment of an activist approach in girls’ physical education

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Awarding institution
  • University of Strathclyde
Date of award
  • 2024
Thesis identifier
  • T17153
Person Identifier (Local)
  • 201555043
Qualification Level
Qualification Name
Department, School or Faculty
Abstract
  • This thesis explores the journeys of two teachers in becoming-Activist as they learned to useand enact an activist approach with girls in their physical education programmes. Unliketraditional approaches to teacher professional learning that typically involve short off-siteworkshops, this study explores the value of on-site learning, where teachers can integratetheir learning into their daily professional practice. The four critical elements of an activistapproach, student-centred pedagogy, pedagogies of embodiment, inquiry-based educationcentred in action, and listening and responding over time, offer a structure to support teachersin better facilitating girls’ motivation, interests and learning in physical education. While thisapproach has been extended into teacher education, there is limited research exploring thenature of in-service teachers’ experiences in becoming-Activist. Conducted over a 9-monthperiod in two Glasgow secondary schools, two teachers were supported to enact an activistapproach. Data generation included semi-structured interviews with teachers, groupinterviews with pupils, debriefing sessions, lesson observations, monthly teacher groupmeetings, classroom artefacts and debriefing sessions with a mentor. Dialectical thinking wasapplied to analyse the data, involving versus coding, then concept coding, which were thenwoven into narratives to represent the challenges teachers encountered in enacting an activistapproach. The findings demonstrate the complexities inherent in teachers’ journeys towardbecoming-Activist, revealing shifts in teacher-pupil and pupil-pupil relationships, heightenedvisibility of teachers’ and pupils’ practices, a transition toward more democratic forms ofparticipation for girls, and the benefits and challenges of school-based professional learning.These insights highlight the importance of ongoing critical reflection to help teachersnavigate the challenges of becoming-Activist. Furthermore, this study supports the notion ofschool-based professional learning, emphasising the need to address the challenges posed byschool contexts, as well as the professional identities and socialisation of teachers.
Advisor / supervisor
  • Kirk, David, 1958-
Resource Type
DOI

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