Effects of socialization during the elementary student teaching practicum on pre-service teachers' application of theories and practices learned in the professional teacher education program

Socialization is the process of gathering knowledge and constructing it in a social context. This gathering of knowledge is often acquired formally through an educational process or informally by interaction with other people (Capel, 2007). A physical education teacher goes through a socialization process where beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and teaching philosophies are influenced.The purpose of this study was to examine how pre-service teachers' application of theory and practice learned during the professional teacher education program was influenced by aspects of socialization while immersed in the student teaching practicum. Data were collected using a variety of qualitative techniques and analyzed using standard interpretive methods. Results revealed three major themes (1) experiences in the recruitment phase and professional phase of the socialization process may have a profound influence, whether negative or positive, on how new practice and theory learned during the PETE program is applied during the student teaching practicum, (2) the transfer of theory learned during the PETE program to a realistic, practical educational setting may be greatly influenced by the environmental aspects and cooperating teacher at the student teaching placement, and (3) the exiting theories of socialization may have a relationship with the theory of the conceptual change process. Implications for physical education suggest PETE programs need to address student misconceptions in order to assure transfer of quality physical education theories and practices to the student teaching practicum.