Pre-service Teachers' Assumption of Responsibility for the Academic Successes and Failures of their Students in Physical Education

Abstract

Effective teachers communicate their expectations to students and hold them responsible for accomplishing tasks. Expectations of teachers for their students can greatly influence student learning. The purpose of the study was to examine the extent to which pre-service teachers assumed responsibility for the academic success and failures of their students in the classroom or gymnasium. A total of seventy subjects (N=70) participated in the study. The subjects enrolled in the student teaching program of the Department of Physical Education and Sport at the State University of New York, College at Brockport. The Responsibility for Student Achievement Questionnaire was administered before and after student teaching. A t-test was conducted to find out whether there was any significant difference in their responses. A comparison of means indicated that females (50.44%) accepted responsibility for student failure. The male pre-service teachers (54%) stated that the teacher should take the credit for student success. The results of this study are in consonance with similar findings by Schempp (1985), Guskey (1981), Brawdy and Byra (1995), and Behets (1995) who concluded that pre-service teachers must be held responsible for the learning outcomes of their students. The acceptance by teachers of the responsibility for the academic successes or failures of students might encourage a greater initiative for promoting positive learning outcomes.