Our Research Methodology
This project adopts a theoretical approach informed by Bronfenbrenner’s (1994) ecological systems theory, which enables:
examination of the culture surrounding PE and OOF teaching;
a focus on the enduring forms of interaction that lead to teacher capacity building; and
representation of the varying perspectives from across the PE ecosystem.
The PE ecosystem consists of initial teacher education (ITE), research communities, PE providers (including universities, government, for profit providers, associations and organisations, schools), schools (teachers, middle level and principal class leadership), subject/principal associations, and governments and government organisations. The project combines reflexivity theory with the ecological approach to create a conceptual framework that underpins three cumulative studies related to the research aims. This process will generate the perspectives, experiences, and attitudes of representatives from all parts of the PE ecosystem, which are then synthesised into a coherent and futures-focused ecological framework developed through a review of literature and policies leading to three studies (click the individual studies to find out more):
The three studies (Figure 1) are designed to inform the development of an ecological framework of PE for OOF teachers that represents the current state and considers the possibilities for shifting the culture through the development of an ideal system, encompassing emergent properties as they pertain to different levels of the interrelated systems. Understanding the varying roles and interactions between the different stakeholders at each part of the ecosystem will be key to generating principles for a culture of PE that values diverse pathways for teachers to build teacher capability and become more specialised.
Figure 1. Methodology to outputs
