Physical Education (PE) teachers have previous experiences that both
shape their particular beliefs about the role and purpose of this school
subject as well as their pedagogical practice. The present study aims to
examine and deepen our knowledge of future Spanish PE teachers’
previous experiences of and beliefs about PE that condition their
pedagogical practice and intentionality within this school subject. The
data reported on in this paper were generated through questionnaires,
life-history stories and semi-structured interviews with 24 initial teacher
education students in the second year of a degree specialising in PE at a
Spanish university. The data was analysed using content and narrative
(thematic) analysis. The students, far from being tabula rasa, in their
responses show how their previous socialisation period, their
subjectivities and identities constitute particular beliefs about PE
teaching. More specifically, the results reveal four key themes in the
student teachers’ experiences and beliefs that represent four different
factors influencing future PE teacher identities: (1) ‘Sport’; (2) ‘PE for
health’; (3) ‘A focus on pedagogy’; and (4) ‘A critical orientation’. In
conclusion, the study reaffirms the need for further reflection on how
previous experiences and beliefs influence the development of
professional teacher identities as part of initial teacher education in PE.
