Pre-service teachers’ experiences of encountering social justice matters in their physical education lessons while on school placement

About this initiative

The project was conducted in three phases. In the first phase, student teachers were encouraged to reflect on their initial school placement through sociology-related modules. They revisited their lesson plans to raise awareness of social justice issues, identify different forms of discrimination and inequality (“isms”), and critically examine their own biases and assumptions. At the same time, they received training on social justice theories and explored how these could be applied within educational settings. Focus groups were then conducted to identify key strengths and limitations of the training provided, as well as to explore how prepared participants felt to address social justice issues during their second school placement. Upon completion of the second placement, a World Café session was organised to examine the challenges participants had encountered in schools, the extent to which their university training had supported them in addressing these issues, and what additional support or resources they felt were needed. Findings from both the focus groups and the World Café highlighted the importance of case-based learning. Participants consistently emphasised the value of practical case studies and expressed a desire for a greater number of authentic, context-specific examples within their training. In response, a graphic designer was commissioned to collaborate on the development of a series of case studies informed directly by the issues, concerns and needs identified by the students. These resources were designed using evidence gathered throughout the project and are accompanied by visual materials hosted on the project website. The platform also enables students to upload and share their own resources aimed at addressing social justice issues within Physical Education. Although the original project has formally concluded, the initiative remains active. We are currently undertaking a second cycle of curriculum evaluation following the implementation of the OER. This ongoing phase seeks to assess the impact of the resource and determine whether it effectively supports the bridging of theory and practice when student teachers encounter real-world social justice challenges in school settings.