Concepción del buen docente desde la perspectiva de los participantes en el proceso de formación del profesorado de Educación Física

Abstract

This thesis pretends to analyze the perspective of the participants in the Physical Education teacher training process about the term «good teacher» and its evolution during the phases of professional socialization. In this study participed: (1) 669 students of the universities of A Coruña and Vigo enrolled in 1st, 4th of Degree in Physical Activity and Sport Sciences and the Master´s Degree in Compulsory Secondary Teachers, Upper Secondary Education, Professional Training and Language Teaching during the academic courses 2013-2014 and 2014-2015; (2) 120 Physical Education teachers of centers located in the field of influence of both universities; and (3) 34 trainers of trainers of those institutions. Three semi-structured questionnaires were used as information collection instruments (one for the 1st and 4th Degree students, another for the Master students and the third one for the internship centers teachers and trainers of trainers) with open and closed questions, organized in 3 dimensions for students in initial training (personal data, biographical characterization and professional activity conceptions) and 5 dimensions for secondary and higher education professionals (personal data, biographical characterization, previous and present teaching experiences, professional activity conceptions and Physical Education initial training and sport conceptions). The data obtained were analyzed: (1) quantitatively, describing with frequencies and percentages which characteristics are related to a good educator (scientific capacity, pedagogical capacity, professional attitude, personality traits, process effects, product effects or philosophical orientations), it was used the Chi-square to assess the existance of significant differences between those categories and the sample group, gender and the institution of the respondents, as well as Cramer's V to quantify the degree of association between the aforementioned study elements; and (2) qualitatively attending, in addition to these elements, to the number of attributes that reflect the concept of those surveyed and their profoundness of reflection about this topic. The results outstand the professional attitude as the favorite feature among the participants, not finding that consensus when it comes to outstand the importance of the other categories. Dependence relationships are shown between the characteristics that embody a good teacher and the sample group, gender and institution of the surveyed. Professionals justify better their answers, describing or delving into their conceptions, while university students tend to list or describe the essential attributes in a good teacher. In both cases, the differences between surveyed are confirmed according to the elements of the study. In conclusion, the lack of agreement between the groups involved does not guarantee that the preparation received by future generations of teachers can change their previous conceptions of what it means to be a good teacher. In this regard, the creation of higher education commissions is recommended, gathering the opinions of educators and providing more coherence to initial training.