Continuing Education: Needs of Physical Education Teachers in Compulsory Secondary School/ Baccalaureate/Vocational Training in Andalusia

Abstract

In-service teacher training is linked to the professional development of teachers and the continuous social transformation of all agents of the educational
community. The purpose of this research is to identify the training needs expressed by Physical Education teachers at the Compulsory Secondary School / Baccalaureate / Vocational Training level in Andalusia. The present research has adopted the embedded single-case study design, using a semi-structured interview to collect data from the sample (n = 20), to which the technique of content analysis technique has been applied using Atlas.ti software, v. 8.4. The analysis of the results obtained through the application of coding cycles revealed eight themes. Initial and in-service teacher training and the characteristics of teachers in the subject stand out. The in-service training offered by the Teacher Training Centres (PTCs) is identified as decontextualised, lacking in specificity and with a high theoretical component, although a high student-teacher ratio and excessive bureaucracy are the aspects of greatest concern in the profession. In conclusion, there is a need to
promote change policies in which teachers are given more recognition for proposing training actions and for participating as assistants in these actions. Furthermore,
teachers suggest that their training needs should be central to the provision of contextualised lifelong learning.