Providing continuous professional development for physical education teacher-led afterschool programs: A transtheoretical longitudinal investigation

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 11:45 am - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Evolving Professional Roles and Identities in PE/PETE

Abstract

This study examined how physical education teachers progressed through the process of designing and implementing multi-dimensional, health-based afterschool programs (ASPs) as part of a university-supported professional development initiative. Using the Transtheoretical Model as a guiding framework, qualitative data from surveys, interviews, focus groups, and teacher portfolios were thematically analyzed. Two core themes emerged: 1) Building readiness for change and 2) enacting and sustaining implementation, with subthemes aligned to the TTM’s processes of change. Teachers were motivated by students' social-emotional needs and supported by relationships with the school and university. Findings highlight the importance of emotional readiness, contextual adaptation, and sustained support in empowering educators to create inclusive ASPs that integrate physical activity, SEL, community engagement and access for students.

Authors

• Victoria Shiver, University of New Mexico

• Kelly L. Simonton, University of Wyoming

• Jeanne M. Barcelona, Wayne State University

• Michael Messerole, University of Nebraska - Omaha

• Megan Lee, University of Wyoming

• Erin Elizabeth Centeio, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa