Exploring the influence of a physical education listserv on K-12 physical educators.

USPE-L (recently renamed NASPE-L) is an e-mail listserv that provides a forum for physical educators to discuss their teaching and programs--and offer collegial support that may not be immediately available in a local community. This study used two sources of data collection including an e-mail survey (N=113) and follow-up phone interviews (N=10) to explore the influence of participation on the USPE-L listserv on the self-described teaching practices of K-12 physical education teachers. Benefits and limiting factors of participating on the listserv were analyzed. Findings indicated that participation on the listserv was reported to be a valued resource leading subscribers to new teaching activities, curricular materials, and reduced feelings of isolation. Findings also indicated a need for listserv etiquette as teachers new to this electronic forum reported a reluctance to share ideas when their postings appeared to be harshly criticized or questioned.

**********

Good teachers, regardless of the subject or grade level taught, search for fresh, innovative lesson and curricular ideas. The recent advent of electronic communications makes this continuing search for new information easier than ever before. A byproduct of searching for innovative lessons and projects is that teachers report better connections with other teachers as they exchange ideas and apparently feel less isolated (Ruopp, Pfister, Drayton, & Gal, 1993; Tannehill, Berkowitz, & LaMaster, 1995). Research on the use of telecommunications networks in education is a fairly recent topic of study. This study focused on an e-mail network (or listserv) for physical educators.

Teachers seeking information to improve their teaching and programs often use traditional resources, for example, joining professional associations, attending professional conferences, subscribing to relevant journals, attending inservice trainings, and pursuing advanced degrees (Doolittle & Schwager, 1989; Housner, 1996; Stroot, 1996; Templin, 1989). These resources are referred to as professional development, defined as "the knowledge, skills, abilities, and necessary conditions for teacher learning on the job" (Lieberman & Miller, 1992, p. 1045). Physical educators face significant challenges when it comes to learning on the job, comparable to those faced by other subject area teachers.

One of these challenges is a lack of time. They must often take a "personal day" to participate in professional development activities (Lambdin, 1986; Templin, 1989). All too often the system set up by administrators for teachers to receive funding for professional development activities is a time-consuming hassle that seems to discourage, rather than encourage, teachers from developing professionally (Templin, 1989).

Teachers' workloads also limit the time they can spend in professional development (Lawson, 1989; O'Sullivan, 1989; Stroot, 1996; Stroot, Collier, O'Sullivan, & England, 1994; Stroot, Faucette, & Schwager, 1993; Templin, 1989). Secondary physical educators often teach all day and then coach in the afternoons and evenings. (Stroot, 1996; Stroot et al., 1993, 1994; Templin, 1989). This type of workload affects their job performance (Stroot et al., 1994) often leaving minimal time and energy for planning and professional development activities (Templin, 1989). Elementary physical educators often have additional nonteaching duties such as lunchroom, bus, or recess duty along with teaching six to nine classes a day-and some also have coaching responsibilities for part of the school year (Stroot, 1996).

The rapidly growing popularity of the Internet may be an alternative source of professional development for many teachers. It is quick and available whenever the teacher has a few minutes to spend on professional development. In addition to increasing usage of web sites, e-mail listservs (electronic discussion groups) also appear to be popular with some teachers. There is a limited body of research on how teachers are using the Internet and e-mail discussion groups for professional development. A few studies that have been completed, however, provide insights into teachers' usage of listervs, which is the focus of this article.

Listservs as a Resource

Jacobs and DiMauro (1995) interviewed 20 of approximately 1,000 secondary science teachers who participated on a listserv. These teachers reported that their professional development was influenced through private professional conversations that originated on the network. They printed out lesson ideas and related science projects posted on the network and experimented with these materials in their classrooms. They shared these materials with colleagues they were team teaching with and reported making modifications to their curricula as a result.

In a related study of an e-mail discussion group of the LabNetwork, an online community for secondary math and science teachers, Ruopp et al. (1993) examined the usefulness of the network early in its development. They analyzed the e-mail messages of 123 secondary physics teachers posted over three months and found the most popular topics of discussion to be lesson ideas, resources for teachers, and access to various curricular materials. One example they cited was the evolution of a collaborative project among several teachers that emerged as a result of their e-mail discussions. The project consisted of measuring the circumference of the earth using the eratosthenes method of determining at the exact same time, the angle of the sun's rays from two locations different in latitude. Several teachers and their classes collected the data and shared it through the LabNetwork and then each class drew their own conclusions.

Another study of LabNetwork was completed several years later by Spitzer and Wedding (1995) using a postal survey of over 1,000 network participants. Eighty percent of the teachers who responded reported the network was most helpful for gathering new ideas and curriculum materials to incorporate into their teaching. Similar findings were reported in a study of the Kent State University Deaf Education Telecommunication Network which was designed to provide 28 teachers of the students with hearing impairments an opportunity to share ideas, learn new information, and share their instructional expertise (Johnson, 1995). The study revealed that these teachers would use the network if it provided them with access to additional instructional strategies and curricular materials (e.g., teaching activities, sample lesson plans, and collaborative projects) not available through traditional professional development venues.

Thus far the completed studies on teachers' participation in e-mail discussion groups suggest that they find it to be a valuable resource for obtaining new lesson and curriculum ideas and resources. This should not be a surprise to those who have participated on teacher listservs. Neither will it come as a surprise that teachers report reduced feelings of isolation when they have the opportunity to discuss their day-to-day practice with other teachers--even if it is through an electronic medium (Merseth, 1991; Ruopp et al., 1993; Spitzer & Wedding, 1995).

Listservs to Reduce Feelings of Isolation

Feelings of isolation may be especially prevalent for physical educators, as they are typically the only teachers in the school without a classroom and much of their day is spent at a distance from other teachers. Some are not even in the school building for several hours at a time when they are outside on a ball field or playground (Lambdin, 1986; Locke, 1974; Napper-Owen & Phillips, 1995; O'Sullivan, 1989; Smyth, 1995; Solomon, Worthy, & Carter, 1993; Stroot et al., 1993, 1994; Templin, 1988, 1989; Williams & Williamson, 1995). Templin (1988) defined isolation as the absence of routine and pedagogically based collegial interaction, noting that teachers rarely engage in activities in which personal and professional support is received or pedagogical problems are solved. The isolation experienced by physical education teachers may also contribute to some physical educators' feelings of not being valued as a profession. These feelings have been described as feelings of marginalization (Templin, 1989) that may be manifested through teachers' workplace conditions.

Qualitative research on teachers' workplace conditions and the experiences of first-year teachers (Lawson, 1989; O'Sullivan, 1989; Smyth, 1995; Solomon, Worthy, & Carter, 1993; Sparkes, Templin, & Schempp, 1993; Stroot et al., 1993, 1994; Templin, 1989; Williams & Williamson, 1995) suggested that far too many physical educators receive implicit and explicit messages from their interactions with administrators, colleagues, parents, and students that physical education is not valued as an educational experience. Teachers in these studies described a lack of support from administrators, citing as examples scheduling with little concern for class size, inappropriate grouping of students, and heavy workloads. One possible method for teachers to gain support, when it may not exist in their school, is through interaction with other professionals through a telecommunications network.

Spitzer and Wedding (1995), in their study of the LabNetwork, found that, in addition to obtaining lesson and curricular ideas, the math and science teachers also used the network because it provided them virtually instant access to a community of support. The support came from daily conversations with colleagues throughout the country allowing them to share concerns about subject matter issues and opportunities to collaborate on science projects. Merseth (1991) studied 39 beginning teachers on a telecommunications network. She found, through a postal survey and follow-up interviews with 10 of the teachers, that by reading the comments of other teachers related to discipline, classroom management, and student motivation these novices felt less alone because others were facing similar challenges.

Currently there are several electronic discussion lists designed specifically for physical educators, but only one study has been reported. Tannehill, Berkowitz, & La Master (1995) examined the influence of a telecommunications network on 23 inservice teachers, 5 teacher educators, and 9 doctoral students all of whom were part of a professional development school (PDS). They surveyed the teachers, analyzed journals, and had the doctoral students' summarize their participation on the network. They also found that the listserv helped alleviate some of the isolation the participants felt in their gymnasiums. Teachers cited the benefits of participation on the network as learning how to use the e-mail system, ease of communication, and finding good resources. Although these findings are encouraging, teachers in this study also mentioned the lack of time to access the system to interact with colleagues as a critical constraint. The findings of the completed studies of electronic discussion groups, previously menti oned, support the potential for electronic networking through e-mail to assist teachers in the process of professional development and also to reduce feelings of isolation.

As the Internet and subsequently e-mail discussion groups continue to be made more readily available to teachers and schools, there is a need to continue to study teachers' usage of these networks. Are they becoming an alternative to traditional development opportunities? Are they indeed helpful to teachers? How can one control for the quality and accuracy of the postings on e-mail listservs (DiMauro & Gal, 1994; Jacobs & DiMauro; 1995; Ruopp et al., 1993; Spitzer & Wedding, 1995)? It was suggested by Spitzer and Wedding (1995) that electronic networks of 1,000 or more educators appeared to be fertile ground for ongoing professional learning, not necessarily as a substitute for traditional methods of professional development, but as a way to enhance them.

Physical Education E-mail Listservs

Two large listservs currently exist for physical educators. PE Talk sponsored by Sportime Inc., and the NASPE-L (formerly USPE-L which was initially created by a group of doctoral students in the Virginia Tech Health and Physical Education program). This study focused on what was then the USPE-L listserv, a much larger network than that studied by Tannehill et al. (1995).

USPE-L began March of 1994 with approximately 25 participants. By January, 1998 it had over 1,000 subscribers1 (S. Westfall, personal communication, January 29, 1998). The purpose of this listserv is to provide a vehicle for K-12 physical educators to electronically discuss and share ideas about teaching, programs, and schools. It also provides access to other physical educators not immediately available in their school communities. How are the challenges of teacher isolation, feelings of marginalization, and lack of time for professional development, influenced by participation on the USPE-L listserv? Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore and describe the influence, if any, the USPE-L listserv had on K-12 physical educators who were subscribers to USPE-Listserv. The following questions served as a guide for the study:

1. Did K-12 teachers who subscribed to USPE-L report any influences on their teaching practices and programs?

2. Was there evidence of professional development as a result of participation on the USPE-L listserv?

3. Did teachers on the USPE-L listserv report any influence on feelings of isolation or marginalization?

METHODS

Participants and Setting

The participants were 113, K-12 physical education teachers who were subscribers to the USPE-L listserv who completed an electronic survey about their use of the listserv. The respondents taught physical education in elementary, middle and high schools and also taught adapted physical education (Table 1). They averaged 14.6 years of experience teaching physical education, ranging from 1-33 years. They taught in 41 states and 4 countries.

DATA SOURCES

The two primary data sources for this study were an e-mail survey and subsequent follow-up interviews. The senior author kept a researcher's journal (written before and after the follow-up interviews) to guide the analysis of the data.

E-Mail Survey

The e-mail survey questions were derived from six separate sources: (a) pre-pilot interviews with six teachers who were subscribers to the USPE-L list, (b) previous messages posted to the USPE-L list by teachers discussing its usefulness, (c) Tannehill et al.'s (1995) study of a telecommunications network for physical educators as a part of a professional development school, (d) Merseth's (1991) research of a telecommunications network for first year teachers, (e) Spitzer and Wedding's (1995) work on an intentional electronic community for professional development, and (f) Jacob and DiMauro's (1995) research of the benefits of an educational telecommunications network on silent readers. The e-mail survey questions attempted to ascertain how subscribers used the listserv and to describe the influence, if any, participation on the USPE-L listserv had on their teaching and professional life.

The initial source of data came from the e-mail survey. A list of all of the e-mail addresses for the 1,043 subscribers to the USPE-L listserv as of March 1, 1998 were provided by the listserv administrator. An e-mail message was sent to all of the subscribers inviting them to complete the survey. Subscribers were given a two-week period of time to indicate their willingness to participate in the study by responding privately to the senior author. After a follow up e-mail reminder, the e-mail survey was sent out to all of those who volunteered to be in the study. They also completed an informed consent form as part of their survey response. Only the senior author knew the subscribers' identities, and pseudonyms were used throughout the study to guarantee anonymity.

Follow-up Interviews

Follow-up telephone interviews were also used as a source of data collection. The use of follow-up interviews is a technique suggested by Patton (1990) who asserts that the use of follow-up interviews with a subsample of respondents can provide meaningful additional detail to help make sense out of and interpret survey results. The use of probes and follow-up questions based on the participants' responses from the e-mail survey were used for this source of data collection (Patton, 1990).

Selection of interview participants. This study used a nonrandomized selection of 10 interview participants implemented by purposeful and selective sampling (Bogdan & Biklen, 1998). The senior author selected 10 interview participants, from the 70 who indicated they were willing to be interviewed. The 10 interview participants were purposely selected in an effort to represent the demographics of the 113 survey respondents in terms of grade levels taught and years of teaching experience (Bogdan & Biklen, 1998): Six elementary physical educators, two middle schools, one high school, and one adapted physical educator were interviewed. They ranged in years of teaching experience from a first-year teacher to a teacher who had completed 33 years of teaching. The mean number of years of teaching experience of the interview participants was 16.5 years. These interview participants represented eight different states. The senior author did not know any of the interview participants.

Interview dates and protocol. After being selected, the 10 follow-up interview participants were contacted by e-mail and asked to participate in a telephone interview. All agreed to do so. The interview participants were also sent, by e-mail, a copy of the informed consent form discussing the issue of confidentiality and were asked to print it out, sign it, and mail it back to the senior author.

At the start of each interview, the senior author reviewed the purpose of the phone call. The questions were then asked based on the participants' responses to the e-mail survey (Patton, 1990). The questions included asking participants' for example(s) of how the listserv had, or had not, influenced their conversations with other teachers, any perceived professional benefits, and if they had specific examples of how they had used information from USPE-L in their teaching practices and/or programs. The telephone interviews ranged from 30 to 45 minutes in length. These taped interviews were subsequently transcribed. The final source of data was the senior author's field notes.

Researcher's Journal

The senior author kept a researcher journal. These notes were taken both during and after the follow-up interviews. This journal consisted of summaries of conversations along with emerging ideas, strategies, hunches, and insights obtained throughout the data collection and analysis process (Bogdan & Biklen, 1998). They served as guides to the discussions held with the peer debriefer and in formulating the categories that emerged from the analysis of the data.

DATA ANALYSIS

This study used an inductive content analysis (Lincoln & Guba, 1985) to analyze the qualitative data generated from the open-ended questions and comments from the e-mail survey and follow-up interviews. The constant comparative method (Lincoln & Guba, 1985), which has been described as a process of categorizing (Glasser & Strauss, 1967), was used to compare and contrast each unit of information with all other units of information to unite those with similar meaning and to separate those with different meanings (Glasser & Strauss, 1967; Patton, 1990). These units of information were extrapolated from the raw data, consisting of a few words in a sentence to an extended paragraph. The categories that emerged containing similar units of information were cut and pasted into a computer file as well as printed out and placed on large poster boards for further analysis. As a result of this process, categories were established, and subsequently each category was analyzed to identify common themes of greater generality (Lincoln & Guba, 1985).

ESTABLISHING TRUSTWORTHINESS 

In performing qualitative research, a researcher may assume different membership roles. Adler and Adler (1994) suggested three predominant researcher membership roles: (a) the complete member researcher, (b) the active member researcher, and (c) the peripheral member researcher. Researchers in peripheral membership roles interact closely enough with the members they are studying to establish an insider's identity without participating in those activities that may constitute core group membership (Adler & Adler, 1994). Both authors took on the role of peripheral membership by subscribing to the USPE-L listserv to get an insider's view as an active reader, but did not post messages to the list.

Along with the authors' role of peripheral membership they brought personal biases to the study through their beliefs, knowledge, and experiences based on their responsibilities as physical education teacher educators. The authors also recognize their bias towards the positive use of technology by K-12 physical education teachers because of their heavy involvement in the development and implementation of a nationally recognized web site. In attempting to maintain methodological rigor and ensure that the study was trustworthy (Lincoln & Guba, 1985) member checking (source checking), peer debriefing, and an inquiry audit were used (Hanson & Newburg, 1992; Lincoln & Guba, 1985).

Member checking was performed several times throughout the study. The first checking took place after the phone interviews had been transcribed into a verbatim written document, which was subsequently sent by email to the participant for comment and verification. Member checks were also used during the data analysis with both survey respondents and interview participants when particular information appeared to fit into multiple categories or needed further explanation. In this case, participants were asked for comment and clarification through e-mail.

The senior author used a university professor as a peer debriefer. The role of the peer debriefer included exploring the senior author's biases, discussing research journal notes, clarifying interpretations, and playing the role of devil's advocate (Hanson & Newburg, 1992). This was accomplished by the senior author and the peer debriefer meeting at a set time once a week after data collection began and continued until the analysis was completed.

The last technique to give the study credibility was that of an inquiry audit, which is metaphorically based on a fiscal audit. For the inquiry audit to occur, the senior author prepared and maintained an audit trail. This audit trail consisted of five categories: (a) raw data, (b) data reduction and analysis products, (c) data reconstruction and synthesis products, (d) process notes, and (e) instrument development information (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). The inquiry audit was performed by the second author.

RESULTS

The data fell into two major categories as a result of the inductive content analysis. They were "benefits of participation" and "factors limiting participation" on the USPE-L listserv (Figure 1).

BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATION

The first category, benefits of participation, consisted of four themes that emerged from the data. They were: (a) the opportunity to interact with other professionals, (b) feelings of support and encouragement, (c) immediate access to other professionals, and (d) new ideas. The next sections elaborate on the four themes using the e-mail responses and transcribed phone conversations of the follow up survey to provide the details of each theme. Written comments were edited for minor grammatical mistakes.

Theme #1: Interaction with Other Professionals

The first theme under the category benefits of participation, was the opportunity USPE-L provided K-12 teachers to interact with other teachers. The benefit of interacting with others was reflected in the words of one teacher who wrote: "I like the opportunity for receiving many new and different ideas, and a chance to talk with others in my profession" (Participant 064). This opportunity to communicate with other teachers in the profession may have been best described by the teacher who wrote:

I feel that the listserv allows for PE teachers, who are usually confined to their gymnasiums, to communicate with other professionals in their field... share how to promote their programs, and learn new ideas (e.g. just like going to conferences and meeting new people and hearing new ideas). (Participant 089)

However, the opportunity for teachers to interact was more than just receiving information, it was also the chance to share ideas and insights. For example, "It's fun to share information and receive it too!" (Participant 019). Another teacher commented: "It's just wonderful because you can respond and give some of your insights..." (Participant 62).

Theme #2: Feelings of Support and Encouragement

The second theme focused on the feelings of support and encouragement derived from becoming a participant on USPE-L. One teacher wrote, "With the touch of a finger...there is support and encouragement!" (Participant 110). These feelings of support and encouragement appeared to come from teachers who felt that there were others who understood their situations and challenges. One teacher responded in the telephone interview: "It helps to hear that others struggle with similar situations that I have, also, the expertise and advice to avoid problems is great. We use the experiences of others to better our programs" (Participant 101).

These teachers appeared not only to feel as though others understood the challenges and situations they faced but also reported feelings of encouragement about their own teaching. As one teacher wrote: "I receive a boosting of morale... I'm doing things right! I have been willing to take more 'risks' knowing there is support" (Participant 010). A veteran teacher of 28 years described her experience as follows:

I feel as one of the older teachers, sometimes you get lulled into a sense of doing what you've always done. In one respect it has given me new insight into how to approach the same area of teaching but in a little bit different way and on the other hand, it has been reinforcing and given me some self-confidence that some of the things I'm doing are right, and that other people are doing the same things out there. It has helped me in both ways. It has rejuvenated me and I've been able to celebrate, hey, you know, I'm not way off and doing things just my own way. (Participant 090)

Theme #3: Immediate Access to Other Professionals

These feelings of support and encouragement may have resulted in part from the exchange of perceived beneficial information, and the unique phenomenon (for many new to the Internet) that USPE-L provided almost immediate access to a plethora of teachers who were inaccessible through traditional professional development outlets. One teacher, for example, responded to the survey by writing: "I like the immediate feedback I can receive with the listserv--often I can get a response faster with the listserv than I can within my own district" (Participant 052). Teachers cited the quick access to other professionals as a benefit of USPE-L, particularly when compared to more traditional methods of professional development. One teacher wrote:

I really like the listserv because it is easy to ask a specific question and most of the times get answers within a day or two. Professional conferences are always super, but they are not always around at the times one needs help. Journals are also usually informative, but not always timely or pertinent to your particular curriculum. District/school inservices are, most of the time, irrelevant to P.E. (Participant 104)

Another teacher cited the unique benefit of getting responses to daily teaching concerns. She wrote:

...it is the only source from which I can ask questions related to the daily running of the school day because many experienced teachers are available on the listserv, and ready to discuss and share their insights. Books sometimes don't answer my questions/dilemmas. (Participant 091)

Theme #4: New Ideas

In addition to having immediate access to other professionals and the ability to converse electronically about their everyday concerns a number of the teachers reported developing new ideas as a result of having access to other professionals. New ideas consisted of both content ideas and also teaching methods. One teacher shared this experience: "I am able to use new ideas in the classroom/gym that I had to previously wait to see at workshops/ conferences" (Participant 105). Teachers described a wide range of new content ideas for use in their lessons. The content ranged from activities for using heart rate monitors, dance, and integrated lessons, to holiday and field day activities. For example:

One thing that I think has been helpful is one of my own personal teaching goals this year was to integrate more language arts and I was able to get some very, very good ideas on how to integrate some activities that actually integrate language arts. One example would be a little game I got off the listserv in October about a ghost hunt and how the kids would have to sit down and read, and then, they had to think up their own keywords after they did an activity, and come up with a keyword that would kind of exemplify that activity. So that's one good example of where I was able to get something that would actually help one of my teaching goals. (Participant 090)

Several of the USPE-L subscribers, however, expressed their concerns about the information that was shared over the listserv. Some appeared to be concerned that the ideas posted on the listerv might not always be in the best interests of children. Others were concerned that the ideas were not grounded in theoretical or practical frameworks and that teachers would be tempted to use ideas with no regard to a curriculum scope or sequence. One teacher stated in the phone interview: "Hearing all these activities and it's, I'll try this and I'll try that, but there's no guidance in the activities. You know you can't just throw a game out there and play it. There's got to be some sort of focus, some sort of objective behind it, and a clear goal set" (Participant 023).

Along with content ideas for their lessons, teachers also reported they became aware of new teaching methods. These methods or strategies ranged from "a renewed interest in the how's of introducing and teaching skill progressions" (Participant 025) to assessment strategies that "got me to use rubrics along with using journals in PE" (Participant 094). Discipline strategies were mentioned frequently in both the e-mail survey and also the telephone interviews. For example, "discipline ideas put forth on the listserv have been very helpful when I had a problem...it was like taking a good refresher course at a good school" (Participant 056). One teacher described the influence of the listserv on her teaching methods in response to an ongoing discussion about the pro's and con's of the game of dodgeball:

When the whole dodge ball issue began early in November, there were some things that I adapted because of thinking through what people had to say concerning that whole issue, and so I adapted and did away with some of those games that I used to have the children play. (Participant 101)

In summarizing the benefits of participation it was clear that the teachers believed there were benefits to participation on USPE-L. Specifically they cited the opportunity to interact with other teachers, with relative immediateness as two important benefits. Many also described how they felt supported and encouraged by participating on the listerv. They also saw the opportunity to obtain new ideas as a benefit of participation. There were, however, factors that limited participation on USPE-L.

FACTORS LIMITING PARTICIPATION

The second category, factors limiting participation, contains three themes that emerged from the data. They are: theme #5, frustration with other subscribers' lack of technology skills; theme #6, lack of professionalism; and theme #7, lack of time.

Theme #5: Frustration with Others' Lack of Technology Skills

Some teachers became frustrated with other subscribers' lack of technology skills, especially when using e-mail on a listserv. This resulted in some personal messages being sent to all the subscribers of USPE-L. One teacher wrote: "I find it VERY irritating to download 30 or so messages and 20-25 of them are personal messages sent from one person to another. My wife is on another professional listserv and this behavior is frowned upon" (Participant 039).

Teachers also expressed frustration with others' lack of technology skills in terms of being unable to unsubscribe to the listserv. For example:

What I like least is irrelevant messages, such as personal messages, but most of all, I get very upset with those who don't read the directions at the bottom of each message that gives directions for unsubscribing!!! It makes me think that we have some professionals who aren't very smart. (Participant 098)

This frustration with the lack of listserv etiquette and skills may have been due, in large part, to the fact that in 1998 listservs were still relatively new for many adults. As teachers use listservs more in their work, and at home, these frustrations may be fewer, although there will still be disagreement with what people say in their listserv comments as suggested in the next theme.

Theme #6: Lack of Professionalism

Lack of professionalism was the second theme in the factors cited as limiting participation. Lack of professionalism was often alluded to when an idea or comment was shared with the entire list and then followed by a response where it was "put down" or criticized. For example, "far too many people slam others for their opinions" (Participant 029). Another teacher put it this way: "Sometimes it seems there is too much bickering--criticizing of people's ideas--wished we could all be more professional and understanding of our differences. We don't have to agree and have the right to express our opinions, but not to criticize others" (Participant 033).

This apparent lack of professionalism may have inhibited some teachers from participating on the list, especially sharing their ideas. This was illustrated in the following statement:

I think the reason that I haven't ever posted anything is because sometimes people really get shredded on there...they go after the jugular and I don't really want that to happen to me...It's pretty amazing but, if I didn't figure somebody was going to do that to me I probably would share a lot more...(Participant 085)

The perceived lack of professionalism may discourage some from sharing their ideas publicly on the list, thus limiting the opportunity for others to learn from their insights and ideas.

Theme #7: Lack of Time

The final theme was the teachers' frustration with the lack of time they had to participate on USPE-L. Those with busy schedules cited the time it took to sort through and read messages. This was reflected in comments such as: "too many messages to read and not enough time to read them" (Participant 007). A secondary teacher, while being interviewed, gave a more detailed description:

I'm on the high school level, and there's not as many participating (on USPE-L)... I just wish more high school teachers would get involved... I don't know how it is as far as the country's concerned, in different states, but a lot of our high school teachers have double and triple coaching duties. I know that takes up a lot of our time. For example, I teach, I'm a JV coach for volleyball and basketball. Those are back to back seasons, and sometimes we seem to get too busy and tied up in that and we forget about our PE classes, and I think that's why we don't have as much high school participation on it (the list-serv). (Participant 079)

While teachers cited benefits to participating on USPE-L there were obvious limitations as well. The reasons why these two themes were prevalent are discussed in the next section.

DISCUSSION

Many of the teachers described their enthusiasm for the opportunity to interact with other professionals (Theme #1) and the opportunity for immediate access to fellow teachers (Theme #3) as two of the benefits of participating on USPE-L. These findings corroborate several elements of effective professional development that are described as context based, flexible, and related to the daily lives of teachers (Center for Research on the Context of Secondary School Teaching, 1989; Lieberman, 1995; Lieberman & McLaughlin, 1996; Little et al., 1987; McLaughlin, 1992; McLaughlin & Marsh, 1979). In these studies teachers were found to want professional development opportunities that were subject specific and related to their daily teaching lives. Teachers' participation on USPE-L may have met this need to some extent as teachers were able to gain insights from others who face many of the same daily challenges--and to do so rapidly.

Teachers also liked the relatively immediate access to colleagues provided by subscribing to USPE- L that is not always available through traditional methods of professional development (Theme #3). This finding suggests that the listserv may be considered "ongoing" because teachers participate as much or as little as they choose. Several studies (Center for Research on the Context of Secondary School Teaching, 1989; Little et al., 1987; McLaughlin & Marsh, 1979) suggested that effective professional development activities require sustained ongoing effort. Furthermore, Grimmett and Erickson (1988) concluded that effective professional development provided teachers ongoing opportunities to reflect on their teaching practices with other teachers. Although there appears to be evidence of the listserv being ongoing in nature, teachers also described lack of time to participate (Theme #7) as one of the limiting factors. Thus while USPE-L provided widespread opportunities to interact with other teachers, some still felt the time crunch imposed by teaching and coaching. Perhaps the major difference between professional development opportunities on the Internet and traditional forms of teacher development is that a teacher is in control of his or her learning opportunities on a listserv, whereas school administrators and association officers typically choose the content for inservices and conferences. Thus a teacher on a listserv has more choices about content--and sooner.

Theme #4, new ideas, is supported in the research on inservice teachers' use of telecommunications networks (Jacobs & DiMauro, 1995; Johnson, 1995; Spitzer & Wedding, 1995; Ruopp et al., 1993; Tannehill et al., 1995). Teachers in these studies reported using telecommunications networks to locate information on curricular materials such as textbooks, to plan new courses, and to gather ideas on how to teach old concepts using new activities. In this study teachers used USPE-L to gather teaching resources that ranged from discipline strategies to new activities for field days (Theme #4) which may have assisted them in overcoming some workplace barriers and have more say in the content of their professional development.

The workplace conditions of isolation, marginalization, and the lack of time, often reported as barriers to professional development, may be partially overcome by participating on listservs specific to teachers' disciplines. Some teachers on USPE-L reported feeling more connected and less isolated. This finding was corroborated in the one study of physical educators on a listserv (Tannehill et al., 1995) when they found that their listserv appeared most valuable for meeting the teachers' desires for increased communication with colleagues and alleviating feelings of isolation. Studies with inservice teachers of other subject matters also report that participation on such networks appear to reduce feelings of isolation (Jacobs & DiMauro, 1995; Johnson, 1995; Spitzer & Wedding, 1995; Ruopp et al., 1993).

The findings of this study indicate that USPE-L was not perceived by all subscribers as supportive (Theme #6). Spitzer and Wedding (1995) found that network subscribers receiving a warm welcome from others was a key ingredient to teachers' full participation. This was accomplished through the use of moderators sending a timely private e-mail message to new subscribers and intercepting messages to the network not deemed professional, thus creating a more friendly environment--not always present on USPE-L.

Some teachers' reluctance to share ideas, rather than just lurking may have been limited because of the absence of a warm welcome, but also because of a frustration with others' lack of technology skills (Theme #5). Johnson (1995) and Tannehill et al. (1995) also found that teachers' participation on an electronic network was limited when they did not know how to use it to read, respond, or post a message to the group.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study suggest three important implications for teachers, teacher educators, and technology experts. First, participation on USPEL did appear to have an influence, albeit self-reported, on teaching practices and programs. This information was primarily in the form of new ideas (Theme #4) that were related to their curricular content and teaching methods and/or practices.

Although it appeared that teachers were provided with information they could use in their teaching and programs, there is a concern that such information may not always be appropriate for children and/or fit into a yearly plan with clear learning objectives. The open format of a listserv, without any mechanism for quality control of the content, places responsibility for how the information is used squarely on the shoulders of the teachers. The quality and appropriateness of the information reportedly used by teachers in their teaching practices and programs was beyond the scope of this study. However, a more in-depth study of the content of the messages posted to the list, through an analysis of the archives, may reveal some important insights about what teachers seem to need and value--both teaching content and also teaching practices.

Second, it appears that listservs may best be described as a "tool" to assist teachers in their professional development goals and/or activities, but subscribing to a listserv, in and of itself, may not be considered professional development. USPE-L was found to be a medium that was highly contextualized and related to the daily work of teachers (Themes #1, #2, and #3).

These are two of the characteristics of effective professional development. But participation on a listserv does not ensure accountability, often cited as the third characteristic in effective professional development. Accountability has been cited as the key element in professional development that produces a change in teacher behavior over a period of time and ideally leads to enhanced student learning (Bull, Buechler, Didley, & Krehbiel, 1994; Center for Research on the Context of Secondary School Teaching, 1989; Joyce & Showers, 1980; Lieberman & McLaughlin, 1996; Little et al., 1987) Coaching by peers and by experts and opportunities for teachers to observe one another and provide mutual feedback are examples of supportive accountability that is thought to facilitate teacher change. Teachers may lend support (Theme #2) and share information (Themes #1, #3, and #4) with one another through a listserv, but it does not allow for the actual observing of one's teaching, thus facilitating change in a programma tic manner. For this reason, a listserv may contribute to a teacher's professional development but some will question if it is truly effective. Clearly participation on a listserv has some of the aspects of successful professional development, but it can hardly be considered a replacement for attending professional conferences, reading the professional literature and participating in ongoing teacher inservice opportunities. On the other hand for some teachers, unfortunately, participation on a listserv may be the best professional development opportunity they have in their school or district.

Listserv participation was also reported by some teachers to reduce their feelings of isolation. This too is an obvious benefit that is corroborated by a number of other studies of physical educators (Tannehill et al., 1995) and classroom teachers (Jacobs & DiMauro, 1995; Johnson, 1995; Spitzer & Wedding, 1995; Ruopp et al., 1993). Clearly, however, some listserv participants would benefit from instruction in both listserv mechanics and etiquette, as would the other participants on listservs who become frustrated when a listerv is used improperly or inappropriately.

The potential for listservs to assist teachers in overcoming at least some of the challenges to professional development is promising. As e-mail and listservs continue to increase in popularity it will be important to continue to study their usefulness for teachers. Teacher educators, for example, can gain significant insights into the concerns and values of teachers by monitoring listserv participation. Staff development personnel and professional association officers responsible for arranging conference presentations can also gain valuable glimpses into what teachers want to know and do. Finally, we need to study how listservs can be made more user friendly--easier to subscribe and unsubscribe to, ways to avoid accidentally sending a private message intended for one teacher to thousands of subscribers on a listerv, and ways to organize listserv content to make it easier to read and use for teachers with busy schedules. E-mail usage and listservs are going to increase as a vehicle for teachers' professional development. As they become more user friendly and organized, it appears they will become an increasingly important resource for teachers to gain new ideas, alleviate feelings of isolation, and generally connect with teachers in ways that were not possible in the past.

Note

In April 1999, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education took over the sponsorship of USPE-L from Virginia Tech. At that time it was renamed to NASPE-L.

Table 1

Survey Participants

Grade Level Taught  No. Responses (N=113)

Pre K-5                   68 (60%)
grades 6-8                26 (23%)
grades 9-12               12 (11%)
adapted PE                 7 (6%)

References

Adler, P.A., & Adler, P. (1994). Observational techniques. In N. Denzin & Y. Lincoln, (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Bogdan, R.C., & Biklen, S.K. (1998). Qualitative research for education: An introduction to theory and methods (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Bull, B., Buechler, M., Didley, S., & Krehbiel, L. (1994). Professional development and teacher time: Principles, guidelines, and policy. Report prepared for Indiana University Education Policy Center, Bloomington.

Center for Research on the Context of Secondary School Teaching (1989). CRC report to field sites. Stanford, CA: School of Education, Stanford University.

DiMauro, V., & Gal, S. (1994). Use of telecommunications for reflective discourse of science teacher leaders. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 3, 123-135.

Doolittle, S., & Schwager, S. (1989). Socialization and inservice education. In T. Templin & P. Schempp (Eds.), Socialization into the physical education: Learning to teach (pp. 105-121). Indianapolis, IN: Benchmark Press.

Glasser, B.G., & Strauss, A.L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory. New York: Aldine.

Grimmett, P.P., & Erickson, G.L. (1988). Reflection in teacher education. New York: Teachers College Press.

Hanson, T., & Newburg, D. (1992). Naturalistic inquiry as a paradigm for doing applied performance research. Contemporary Thought on Performance Enhancement: A Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 1, 26-48.

Housner, L.D. (1996). Innovation and change in physical education. In S.J. Silverman & C.D. Ennis (Eds.), Student learning in physical education: Applying research to enhance instruction (pp. 367-390). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Jacobs, G., & DiMauro, V. (1995). Active readers: What benefits do they gain from an educational telecommunications network. Paper presented at The Annual Meeting of The International Conference on Technology, Orlando, FL.

Johnson, H.A. (1995). Telecommunications: A strategy for teacher preparation and professional development. Journal of Childhood Communication Disorders, 17, 42-45.

Joyce, B., & Showers, B. (1980). Improving in-service training: The messages of research. Educational Leadership, 48, 59-62.

Lambdin, D. (1986). Winning battles, losing the war. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 57(4), 34-37.

Lawson, H.A. (1989). From rookie to veteran: Workplace conditions in physical education and induction into the profession. In T. Templin & P. Schempp (Eds.), Socialization into the physical education: Learning to teach (pp. 145-164). Indianapolis, IN: Benchmark Press.

Lieberman, A. (1995). Practices that support teacher development. Phi Delta Kappan, 76, 591-596.

Lieberman, A., & McLaughlin, M.W. (1996). Networks for educational change: Powerful and problematic. Phi Delta Kappan, 73, 673-677.

Lieberman, A., & Miller, L. (1992). The professional development of teachers. In M. Alkin (Ed.), The encyclopedia of educational research (6th ed., Vol. 3; pp. 1045-1053). New York: MacMillan.

Lincoln, Y.S., & Guba, E.G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Little, J.W., Gerritz, W.H., Stern, D.S., Guthrie, J.W., Kirst, M.W., & Marsh, D.D. (1987). Staff development in California. Joint publication of the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development (San Francisco) and policy analysis for California education (University of California at Berkeley, School of Education).

Locke, L.F. (1974). The ecology of the gymnasium: What the tourists never see. In Proceedings of SAPECW (pp. 38-50). (ERIC Document Reproduction No. ED 104 823)

McLaughlin, M. (1992). Enabling professional development: What we have learned? In A. Lieberman & L. Miller (Eds.), Staff development for education in the '90s (2nd ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.

McLaughlin, M., & Marsh, D. (1979). Staff development and school change. In A. Lieberman & L. Miller (Eds.), Staff development: New demands, new realities, new perspectives. New York: Teachers College Press.

Merseth, K.K. (1991). Supporting beginning teachers with computer networks. Journal of Teacher Education, 42, 140-147.

Napper-Owen, G.E., & Phillips, D.A. (1995). A qualitative analysis of the impact of induction assistance on first-year physical educators. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 14, 305-327.

O'Sullivan, M. (1989). Failing gym is like failing lunch or recess: Two beginning teachers' struggle for legitimacy. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 8, 227-242.

Patton, M.Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Ruopp, R., Pfister, M., Drayton, B., & Gal, S. (1993). Supporting teachers with telecommunication: The lab network. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 9, 2-19.

Smyth, D. (1995). First-year physical education teacher's perceptions of their workplace. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 14, 198-214.

Solomon, M., Worthy, T., & Carter, J. (1993). The interaction of school context and role identity of first-year teachers. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 12, 313-328.

Sparkes, A.C., Templin, T.J., & Schempp, P.G. (1993). Exploring dimensions of marginality: Reflecting on the life histories of physical education teachers. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 12, 386-398.

Spitzer, W., & Wedding, K. (1995). LabNet: An intentional electronic community for professional development. Computers Education, 24, 247-255.

Stroot, S. (1996). Organizational socialization: Factors impacting beginning teachers. In S.J. Silverman & C.D. Ennis (Eds.), Student learning in physical education: Applying research to enhance instruction (pp. 339-366). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Stroot, S.A., Faucette, N., & Schwager, S. (1993). In the beginning: The induction of physical educators. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 12, 375-385.

Stroot, S., Collier, C., O'Sullivan., & England, K. (1994). Contextual hoops and hurdles: Workplace conditions in secondary physical education. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 13, 342-360.

Tannehill, D., Berkowitz, R., & LaMaster, K. (1995). Teacher networking through electronic mail. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 3(2/3), 119-136.

Templin, T. (1988). Teacher isolation: A concern for the collegial development of physical education. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 7, 197-205.

Templin, T. (1989). Running on ice: A case study of the influence of workplace conditions on a secondary school physical educator. In T. Templin & P. Schempp (Eds.), Socialization into the physical education: Learning to teach (pp. 165-197). Indianapolis, IN: Benchmark Press.

Williams, J., & Williamson, K. M. (1995). Beginning to teach physical education: The inside stories. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.