Physical education teacher education impact on the development of preservice teachers' epistemological beliefs: A two-year longitudinal case study

Abstract

The general aim of this study was to understand the impact of a physical education teacher education (PETE) program on the development and reconfiguration of pre-service teachers' (PSTs) epistemological beliefs (EBs) through a longitudinal case study design. Furthermore, the study sought to gain an in-depth understanding of how different phases of PETE guide PSTs' epistemology over time, attending to both cognitive and contextual dimensions of epistemological development. Grounded in an interpretative paradigm, this research adopted a two-year longitudinal case study. Eleven PSTs voluntarily participated and were followed across successive phases of the PETE programme. Data were collected using multiple eclectic methodologies and analysed using thematic analysis, for its interpretative flexibility and alignment with the study's aim. The findings indicate that EBs in PETE remain under-theorised and under-investigated, particularly from domain-specific and longitudinal perspectives. Epistemological development emerged as inseparable from professional socialisation processes and pedagogical contexts. Epistemological reconfiguration appeared non-linear, characterised by periods of progression and regression linked to contextual demands and emotional responses to uncertainty. Student-centred approach-based curricula, its pedagogical strategies and social learning environments functioned as a key structural driver of epistemological reconfiguration by legitimising uncertainty, reflexivity, and knowledge coconstruction. Collectively, this highlighted the dynamic, situated, and socially mediated nature of epistemological development in PETE and underscored the need for sustained, context-sensitive support across teacher education programmes.