Exploring Confidence Levels of Pre-Service Teachers in Physical Education Field Experiences

Abstract

The confidence levels of pre-service teachers have an impact on how effective they will be in a classroom setting. The purpose of this study is to examine the confidence levels of 16 pre-service teachers while teaching physical education and health. The college students were enrolled in a college clinical site field experience course and were placed with cooperating teachers of primary and elementary aged students. An Institutional Review Board-approved pre-test and post-test survey focused on three main confidence based statements: a) I am confident I can handle inappropriate behavior professionally, (b) I am confident with my classroom management skills and (c) I am confident I will make effective use of all class time. Using a repeated measure analysis of variance, results indicated significance on all three items at the .05 level