ERIC Number: EJ1458148
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0273-5024
EISSN: EISSN-1543-2769
An Exploration of the Use of Twitter as a Professional Development Platform for In-Service Secondary School Physical Educators
Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, v44 n1 p145-153 2025
Purpose: To explore secondary school physical educators' use of Twitter (now X) for professional development, examining engagement patterns and evolution over time through the lens of sense of community theory. Method: Sixty-one secondary school physical educators completed a questionnaire shared on Twitter (now X). Ten teachers also completed individual semistructured interviews. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Three themes were constructed: (a) physical educator Twitter engagement and its impact, (b) evolution of educators Twitter use over time, and (c) opportunities and advice for physical educators. Discussion/Conclusion: This study explored how physical educators use Twitter (X) for professional development and highlighted its impact on teaching practices, networking, and professional opportunities while noting concerns about the pressure of being perfect and the control exerted by X's algorithms. Future research should assess the consistency of these findings and explore Twitter's rebranding to X and its implications for users' community sense and engagement.
Descriptors: Social Media, Communities of Practice, Faculty Development, Secondary School Teachers, Physical Education Teachers, Computer Mediated Communication, Sense of Community, Teacher Participation, Technology Uses in Education, Teacher Collaboration, Electronic Learning
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A