The best of both worlds: exploring the socialisation of physical education specialism graduates as generalist teachers with expertise in PE

Abstract

This research investigated the self-efficacy, beliefs, and practices of generalist primary school teachers who undertook the Bachelor of Education with a specialism in PE between 2016 and 2019. Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey, and 80 valid responses were received. The findings suggest self-efficacy is high among these teachers, scoring 4.14 (±0.38 on a 5-point Likert scale). Results also indicated that the specialism positively developed content knowledge and teaching skills among this cohort. However, it was unclear if these teachers were being utilised effectively upon graduation to enhance the provision of PE in Irish primary schools.