FIRST-YEAR PHYSICAL-EDUCATION TEACHERS PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR WORKPLACE

This study provides a description of how 12 first-year physical educat ion teachers perceived their workplace, how it affected their first ye ar of work, and how their workplace shaped their induction into the co ntext of the school. Interviews were conducted at the end of each part icipant's first year of teaching. All participants reported that the f ollowing workplace factors shaped their first year of teaching: the fa cilities, the presence or absence of teaching colleagues, the scheduli ng of classes, the community environment, and the students. In additio n several ''unarticulated'' (Schein, 1988) factors were identified tha t represent additional themes of influence: the status of physical edu cation in the schools, the teachers' sense of efficacy, the testing of values, and the realities of the school as a social institution. The results of this study, together with information from the literature, suggest that despite modest efforts, many schools provide inadequate s upport for beginning teachers.