Exploration of the Patterns of Physical Education Teachers’ Participation Within Self-Directed Online Professional Development

Although physical education (PE) teachers have increased access to digital/online continuous professional development activities, there are few robust accounts of how they engage with and experience these environments. Purpose : The purpose this study was examine PE teachers’ participation patterns within self-directed online activities using mobile instant messenger. Methods Data were generated from (a) 5,246 messages exchanged in the messenger chatroom 281 teachers, (b) semistructured interviews 10 (c) 1,275 posted by interviewed teachers. Quantitative data analyzed for measures central tendency, qualitative inductively. Findings Five usage identified: ringmasters, passive uploaders, active (d) requesters, (e) bystanders. Discussion findings suggest that each engagement pattern illustrates differential goals learning, types interaction, forms engaged development.