| Increasingly, graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are not assisting faculty instructors, but finding themselves in the role of lead instructor, particularly in physical activity courses. Despite this responsibility, GTAs receive little or no pedagogical training and often feel unprepared to teach. Conversely, college and university physical education teacher education (PETE) programs grounded in constructivist principles provide a strong nurturing environment for teacher growth and are increasingly commonplace. Constructivist methods foster learners' active involvement by utilizing real-life learning situations that they perceive as relevant to their own lives -- situations that are contextual and holistic. While constructivist PETE programs have been studied, constructivist kinesiology GTA training has not. Alignment (curricular elements reinforce each other and fit together logically) and sequencing (information is presented in a logical progression) are two goals of constructivist teaching. A pilot study revealed that three key curricular elements - student learning objectives, learning cues, and teacher-provided feedback - were often absent or poorly articulated in GTA lessons. The purpose of this study was to implement and evaluate a constructivist-oriented program to train university GTAs to align student learning objectives (SLOs), learning cues, and teacher-provided feedback in their planning and teaching in physical activity courses. Specifically, the research questions were: (a) To what extent did GTAs implement an aligned and sequenced curriculum when teaching university physical activity courses?; (b) In what ways did a constructivist-oriented training session and semester-long mentoring intervention enhance GTAs' ability to align SLOs, learning cues, and teacher-provided feedback?; (c) In what ways did a constructivist-oriented training session and semester-long mentoring intervention impact GTAs' perceptions of their initial university teaching experience?; and (d) To what extent did the implementation of an aligned and sequenced curriculum impact undergraduate students' experiences in physical activity courses?;This study utilized a qualitative research design, focusing on process, understanding, and meaning, rather than product. The sample was purposeful and non-probabilistic. The primary participants were 11 GTAs new to the physical activity instruction program at a small public university in the United States. I led a three-hour constructivist-oriented training session with this group in the week preceding the fall semester, and observed each GTA teach on three occasions, offering feedback, mentoring, and support. I conducted one-on-one semi-structured interviews with each GTA, two undergraduate students taught by each GTA, and the director of physical activity instruction. I analyzed the data (observation field notes, interview transcriptions, orientation/training documents, lesson plans, syllabi) using constant comparison, comparing units of data to each other as they were gathered to reveal similarities, differences, patterns, and relationships. Categories were utilized to describe and then interpret the data, as I drew inferences and generated theories in response to research questions. This study complements the current literature by applying constructivist principles to training for kinesiology GTAs. |
