Abstract
Previous research of why inexperienced adventure educators’ (AEs) think and teach as they do had provided findings that suggested how AE instructor education (AEIE) might be improved. The purpose of this study was to build on this work and determine how occupational socialization shaped the perspectives and practices of two experienced and expert AEs. Six qualitative techniques were used to collect data. Analysis involved using analytic induction and constant comparison to categorize these data. Categories were then collapsed into meaningful themes. Results revealed how the AEs’ acculturation, professional socialization, and organizational socialization led them to possess sophisticated and advanced but slightly differing perspectives on adventure education, pedagogies for teaching adventure education, and AEIE. Key factors in the development of these perspectives and practices were the AEs’ early and positive experiences of adventure and the outdoors and their master’s degree programs.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bisson, C. (1999). Sequencing the adventure experience. In J. C. Miles & S. Priest, Adventure programming. (pp. 205–214). State College, PA, US: Venture Publishing.
Costa, A. L., & Kallick, B. (1993). Through the lens of a critical friend. Educational Leadership, 51(2), 49–51.
Curtner-Smith, M. D. (1996). The impact of an early field experience on preservice physical education teachers' conceptions of teaching. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 15(2), 224–250. https://doi.org/10.1123/jtpe.15.2.224.
Curtner-Smith, M. D. (1997). The impact of biography, teacher education, and organizational socialization on the perspectives and practices of first-year physical education teachers: Case studies of recruits with coaching orientations. Sport, Education & Society, 2(1), 73–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/1357332970020105.
Curtner-Smith, M. D. (1998). Influence on biography, teacher education, and entry into the workforce on the perspectives and practices of first-year elementary school physical education teachers. European Journal of Physical Education, 3(1), 75–98. https://doi.org/10.1080/1740898980030107.
Curtner-Smith, M. D. (1999). The more things change the more they stay the same: Factors influencing teachers' interpretations and delivery of national curriculum physical education. Sport, Education and Society, 4(1), 75–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/1357332990040106.
Curtner-Smith, M. D. (2001). The occupational socialization of a first-year physical education teacher with a teaching orientation. Sport, Education & Society, 6(1), 81–105. https://doi.org/10.1080/713696040.
Curtner-Smith, M. D. (2002). Methodological issues in research. In A. Laker (Ed.), The sociology of sport and physical education (pp. 36–57). London: RoutledgeFalmer.
Curtner-Smith, M. D. (2017). Acculturation, recruitment, and the development of orientations. In K. Lux Gaudreault & K. A. Richards (Eds.), New perspectives on teacher socialization in physical education (pp. 33–46). Oxford, UK: Taylor & Francis.
Curtner-Smith, M. D., Hastie, P. A., & Kinchin, G. D. (2008). Influence of occupational socialization on beginning teachers' interpretation and delivery of sport education. Sport, Education & Society, 13(1), 97–117. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573320701780779.
Flory, S. B., & McCaughtry, N. (2014). The influences of pre-professional socialization on early career physical educators. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 33(1), 93–111. https://doi.org/10.1123/jtpe.2013-0089.
Goetz, J. P., & LeCompte, M. D. (1984). Ethnography and qualitative design in educational research. Orlando, FL, US: Academic Press.
Lacey, C. (1977). The socialization of teachers. London, UK: Methuen Publishing.
Lawson, H. A. (1983a). Toward a model of teacher socialization in physical education: Entry into schools, teachers' role orientations, and longevity in teaching (part 2). Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 3(1), 3–15. https://doi.org/10.1123/jtpe.3.1.3.
Lawson, H. A. (1983b). Toward a model of teacher socialization in physical education: The subjective warrant, recruitment, and teacher education. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 2(3), 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1123/jtpe.2.3.3.
Lee, H. M., & Curtner-Smith, M. D. (2011). Impact of occupational socialization on the perspectives and practices of sport pedagogy doctoral students. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 30(3), 296–313. https://doi.org/10.1123/JTPE.30.3.296.
Lortie, D. C. (1975). Schoolteacher. Chicago, IL, US: University of Chicago Press.
Richards, K. A., Templin, T. J., & Graber, K. (2014). The socialization of teachers in physical education: Review and recommendations for future works. Kinesiology Review, 3(2), 113–134. https://doi.org/10.1123/kr.2013-0006.
Schempp, P. G., & Graber, K. C. (1992). Teacher socialization from a dialectical perspective: Pretraining through induction. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 11(4), 329–348. https://doi.org/10.1123/jtpe.11.4.329.
Sofo, S., & Curtner-Smith, M. D. (2010). Development of preservice teachers' value orientations during a secondary methods course and early field experience. Sport, Education and Society, 15(3), 347–365. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2010.493314.
Stran, M., & Curtner-Smith, M. D. (2009). Influence of occupational socialization on two preservice teachers' interpretation and delivery of the sport education model. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 28(1), 38–53. https://doi.org/10.1123/jtpe.11.4.329.
Veenman, S. (1984). Perceived problems of beginning teachers. Review of Educational Research, 54, 143–178. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543054002143.
Zeichner, K. M., & Tabachnick, B. R. (1981). Are the effects of university teacher education 'washed out' by school experience? Journal of Teacher Education, 32(3), 7–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/002248718103200302.
Zeichner, K. M., Tabachnick, B. R. (1983). Teacher perspectives in the face of institutional press. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the AERA, Montreal, ON, Canada.
Zmudy, M. H., Curtner-Smith, M. D., & Steffen, J. P. (2009). Influence of occupational socialization on the practices and perspectives of two inexperienced adventure educators. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 9(2), 115–134. https://doi.org/10.1080/14729670902817049.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest statement
On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Maurer, M.M., Curtner-Smith, M.D. The occupational socialization of two experienced and expert adventure educators. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education 22, 57–73 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-018-0020-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-018-0020-y