THE EPISTEMIC JUDGEMENT CHAIN TO SUPPORT HOLISTIC PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER DEVELOPMENT- AN INITIAL STUDY

Abstract

Problem Statement Teacher professional development is criticised for not being effective in respect to
changes in pedagogy and practice. Epistemology is a valuable lens by which teachers can plan, deliver and
reflect upon holistic physical education activities. Little is known however about how to maximise a deeper
knowledge and understanding of epistemology and its application. Approach A pilot study with 16 trainee
Physical Education teachers followed their final year 18 week teaching internship. Teachers were
introduced to the Epistemic Judgement Chain (EJC) and mentored in its use. Participants reflected upon
the EJC’s structure, content and utility. Reflective Thematic Analysis was then applied. Results All
participants provided positive feedback about the EJC’s merit, value and constructs. Two storybook themes
were generated; Learning what is out there, and Playing the promotion game. Findings provide evidence
that the EJC is an asset in teacher training that makes philosophy to practice and alignment explicit. The
trainee teachers were however unaware of many professional and organizational stressors, educational
policy constraints, and other hidden influences on the actual PE teaching world. Future studies that
evaluate the EJC with diverse PE teaching cohorts is therefore required. The EJC would seem to function
as an effective means to shine a light and delve below the surface to improve key PE practices. Conclusions
The EJC provides a valuable scaffold by which teachers can reflect on their views, experiences, and future
plans for implementing a holistic approach to Physical Education. Findings supported the EJC’s ability
to facilitate teachers’ critical awareness of environmental influences on teaching practice. Additionally,
the EJC helped teachers navigate a path that was well aligned to their own values and beliefs about
teaching and learning. Follow up studies are now needed to investigate the impact of the EJC professional
development process on both teacher and student behaviours.