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The study drew on multiple data sources. Punch (2000) identified multiple data sources as a strength of a case study because it increases the reliability of the data and the process of collecting it.The research design is summarised in Appendix 1, and this next section explains the use of the research tools employed for the data collection.

Survey

A survey can afford depth and breadth of analysis within a single investigation by offering both descriptive and causal data for analyses (Tellis, 1997). The use of surveys provided an efficient method of gathering data from the participants. The study used three surveys. The first survey occurred in the week prior to the Year 4 Physical Education Studies curriculum studies topic. The final year cohort of PETE- PS teachers were invited to participate in the research via an email containing a hyperlink to the survey which was housed online through an internet survey design website. The second survey took place at the conclusion of the Year 4 Physical

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Education Studies curriculum studies topic. A colleague of the researcher not involved in the teaching of the final year cohort of PETE-PS teachers invited participation in this next stage of data collection during the final workshop. The surveys were ‗pen and paper‘ surveys with volunteers participating in the data collection at the end of the class. The final survey occurred eight weeks later after the cohort of PETE-PS teachers had completed their PTP 4 teaching placement. Invitation to participate in the research occurred via an email containing a hyperlink to the survey which was housed online through an internet survey design website.

The surveys featured open and closed questions (See Appendix 2). Open ended questions featured ―so that participants can best voice their experiences unconstrained by any perspectives of the researcher or past findings‖ _(Creswell, 2008 p. 225). Some questions were accompanied by a Likert Scale format14_{. A}

survey should have ‗face validity‘, that is, it should appear valid for the intended purpose (Ary et al., 2006). Drafts of the survey instruments were initially scrutinised by the researchers‘ supervisors at the University of Tasmania for face validity. The instruments were then previewed by some of the researcher‘s PETE colleagues. Based on the feedback about the face validity of the survey instruments by these two groups the instruments were adjusted and then approved by the researchers‘

supervisors at the University of Tasmania

Web-survey instruments were chosen to reduce the potential for bias that might result from my influence. The participants were able to answer the

standardised questions with a high degree of anonymity. This is important in

circumstances where the researcher is involved in the community of practice being

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researched. Web-survey tools are reliable as survey instruments as they control for error by ensuring that each respondent has an equal chance of being included in the sample, thus avoiding or limiting the effects of sample error (Sills & Song, 2002). The validity and relaiblity of internet survey instruments have been found to be

comparable to traditional ‗pen and paper‘ instruments (Eysenbach & Wyatt, 2002).

Data Collection 1: Pre-instruction survey

Data collected at this stage was aimed at eliciting knowledge of the PETE pre- service teachers‘ assumptions about teaching sport in physical education, and their confidence and intentions about elements of the tactical TGfU (Griffin et al., 1997) and SE (Siedentop, 1994) curriculum models for sport teaching in physical

education. The survey was designed to reveal the teaching intentions of the PETE- PS teachers following their first professional teaching practice during the semester preceding this research. The survey would also reveal the impact previous exposure to an AFL Sport Education practical topic in Year 2 of the degree had on their

understanding of curriculum design for sport teaching and pedagogical intentions. The survey was placed on a web survey site. During the week before classes started the PETE-PS teachers were invited to contribute to the survey by an email letter. The PETE-PS teachers were advised that completion of the survey was optional and that by completing the survey they provided consent for the responses to be used in the study. Of a possible 52 PETE-PS teachers, 37 completed

responses were posted on the web-survey. This represented a 71% return rate. The results of this data are presented in Chapter 4.

The results of the first survey informed the design of questions for the following surveys and the semi structured interview questions.

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Data Collection 2: Post-instruction survey

I was responsible for the development and enactment of seven two hour weekly classes, with one hour allocated to experiential classes with a tactical TGfU application (Mitchell et al., 2006) combined with team affiliation and role

responsibility elements from the SE model (Siedentop et al., 2011). Volleyball was selected as it is a common sport for PETE-PS teachers to be asked to teach on PTP as the school practicum occurs during Term 2 when schools frequently timetable indoor sports because of the chance of wet weather. The second hour of class was concentrated on physical education curriculum design and enactment issues, with a particular emphasis on sport teaching in middle and secondary bands of schooling. At the completion of the Physical Education Curriculum Studies topic the PETE-PS teachers were invited to participate in the study via a survey of their experiences learning to play a sport (volleyball) and to use a sport literacy to design sport curriculum.

The survey was designed to reveal the attachment of meaning to future sport teaching practice stemming from the learning experiences of the PETE-PS teachers following their topic course work. The PETE-PS teachers were invited to contribute to the survey by a Physical Education Studies colleague who explained the survey intentions and the invitation to participate. Of a possible 52 PETE-PS teachers, 48 completed responses were returned via the survey administrator. This represented a return rate of 92%. The results of this data are also presented in Chapter 6.

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Data Collection 3: Post professional teaching practice pre-service physical education teacher survey

Following the Physical Education Curriculum Studies topic the PETE-PS teachers participated in Professional Teaching Practice 4 (PTP4) school placement. This six week full time school immersion occurred during the first six weeks of Term 2. At the completion of PTP4 the PETE-PS teachers were invited via email to

participate in the research through a web-survey. Data collected at this stage aimed at eliciting knowledge of the PETE-PS teachers‘ sport teaching and coaching

experiences, and specifically the limits, constraints and possibilities surrounding the tactical TGfU and SE pedagogies. The survey was designed to provide a depiction of the teaching experiences and future intentions of the PETE-PS teachers following their main professional teaching practice experience. Of a possible 51 PETE-PS teachers, 38 completed responses were posted on the web-survey. This represents a return rate of 75%. The results of this data are presented in Chapter 6.

Interview

A semi-structured interview design was employed to enable rich data to be collected from the participants (Gratton & Jones, 2004) and to allow descriptive stories to be told. Two groups of participants were engaged in data collection using semi-structured interviews. A series of open-ended questions were developed to open up and elicit initial responses during the interviews (see Appendix 3). The interviews were taped and the audio transcript later transcribed. I took notes during the interview, recounting the data to the participants, to help the identification of clarifying questions and follow –on questions to further pursue participant reflection

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and thinking. The data was potentially re-identifiable, therefore, confidentiality and anonymity of participants was protected by:

1. The allocation of codes to the subjects to protect their identity; and

2. Confirmation that personal and site information would not be requested or recorded during the data collection processes.

Data Collection 4: Professional teaching practice pre service physical education teacher interviews

Eight PETE-PS teachers volunteered to participate in semi-structured interviews about PTP and sport coaching experiences. The mentors were recruited during PTP4 PETE-PS teacher site observation visits allocated to the researcher by the university Professional Experience Office. The purpose of the interviews was to reveal the limits, constraints and possibilities confronting their attempt to plan and enact sport teaching like they had encountered during their PETE-PS curriculum specialisation topic.

Data Collection 5: Professional teaching practice mentor interviews

During PTP4 placement site visits semi-structured interviews were conducted with the aim of generating epistemological conversations with the researcher and PTP4 PETE-PS teacher mentors. The purpose of the interviews was to gain a sense of the experience with, and perceived value of, a tactical TGfU and SE sport

teaching approach in physical education. Seven mentor teachers volunteered to participate during school PTP4 visits.

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