The Problematic Nature of a Career in a Marginal Subject: some implications for teacher education programmes

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Abstract
In Western cultures subjects defined as practical have had consistent difficulty in gaining acceptance within the curriculum. These subjects have been marginalised and accorded low status, which has influenced their positioning in relation to other subjects in terms of the allocation of power, resources and funding in schools. For those who choose to teach such subjects the construction of a career is highly problematic. Utilising the life‐history method this paper focuses upon the experiences and concerns of a range of physical education (PE) teachers at different stages in their careers and the manner in which they respond to perceptions of marginality. A strong classroom orientation is seen to be held on entry into teaching, which informs the dominant response of strategic compliance that reduces the capacity of these teachers to challenge and transform the structures that constrain them. The role of initial teacher education programmes in reproducing this process is discussed and it is suggested that they provide a partial and misleading picture of the realities of school life for those destined to teach this subject. It is argued that these programmes need to develop a critical enquiry perspective, and make explicit the micropolitical nature of a career in a marginal subject, so that physical education teachers may be adequately resourced with a knowledge base that stimulates their awareness of the ways in which power and interests operate in the educational system.