Japanese physical education teachers’ workplace learning at middle schools in urban city school districts

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to describe and explain Japanese middle school physical education teacher workplace experiences at urban city school districts. Participants were seven middle school physical education teachers (five males and two females) teaching physical education and coaching athletic teams in Japanese middle schools. Data sources included semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Three themes emerged from the data: (a) teachers’ commitment and dedication to students and schools, (b) the conflicting roles of teaching and coaching, and (c) difficulty of organising physical education professional development. The findings suggest that school districts need to overcome role conflicts in teaching and coaching students in middle school settings; to increase teacher intrinsic motivation for professional competencies; and to support collaboration between physical education teachers and school principals to meet students’ needs in physical education and on athletic teams, while keeping the workload and psychological health of the teachers at the forefront.