Blended Learning Experiences of Dual Career Students in PETE

Background and purpose:Coping with the high demands of training and competitions, or championship preparation camps, student-athletes in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) programmes have difficulties in keeping up... [ view full abstract ]

Background and purpose:

Coping with the high demands of training and competitions, or championship preparation camps, student-athletes in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) programmes have difficulties in keeping up with their school. Managing home works and studying for the exams are a considerable issue and also absenteeism rate among student-athletes is very high because of their sports careers. Using blended learning is thought to address these problems and increase dual career students’ inclusion in the process of education. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand the blended learning experiences of dual career students in a Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) program in Turkey.

Methods:

The participants were 20 PETE (14 males, 6 females) students with a variety of sports backgrounds (professional athletes from team sports and individual sports). Google classroom was integrated into a 12-week pedagogical course as a course delivery medium for creating the blended learning environment according to needs of student-athletes. Case Study was used as a research design. Data was collected through semi-structured & focus group interviews and reflection notes of instructor. Data analysis was administered with a thematic content analysis.

Results:

As a result, four main themes emerged: (1) accessibility to course materials, (2) ability to follow the course timeline, (3) the opportunities for peer teaching, and (4) lastly the role of smartphones.

Conclusions and implications:

As a conclusion, besides the ways like tutorship for helping the student-athletes, using blended learning approaches can be a crucial opportunity for dual-career athletes. Universities should update their regulations and support instructors for providing online teaching opportunities to dual career students. Considering the role of smartphones in this study, mobile learning practices can be applied to further research.