Up close and personal on physical education teachers' identity: Is conflict an issue?

Much of the research on teachers' work is informed by role theory, that assumes teachers' identity is largely ascribed. When there are inconsistencies in teachers' and others' expectations for different occupational roles such as physical education teacher and sports coach, 'role conflict' is said to occur. This stud), sought to investigate if role conflict was a major concern for Australian physical education teacher/coaches. Findings, informed by case studies with five teacher/coaches, challenge the assumption that moving between professional responsibilities causes role conflict. Rather, in moving across contexts, the physical education teachers managed inconsistencies in ways that resulted in positive and rawarding work experiences.

Breastfeeding and the responsibilities of GPs: a qualitative study of general practice registrars

The most recent National Health Survey reports that more than 80% of women initiate breastfeeding, while recent studies describe initiation rates of more than 90%. Yet fewer than 50% of women continue to breastfeed for 6 months or longer. This is at odds with National Health and Medical Research Council recommendations that 80% of infants be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life. Women are more likely to initiate and continue to breastfeed if their doctor supports and encourages them to do so. Conversely, women perceive a neutral attitude by doctors toward breastfeeding to be similar to a negative attitude. Therefore, while doctors may not perceive their support or encouragement to be a determining factor in a woman’s breastfeeding decisions, women often place great emphasis on their GP's attitude to breastfeeding and are much more likely to think that information provided by a doctor is important. No previous research in Australia has addressed the issue of how GPs perceive their roles and responsibilities regarding breastfeeding. As part of a larger research project investigating the breastfeeding skills and knowledge of general practice registrars, this article reports the results of qualitative interviews with eight general practice registrars and their views and beliefs about GPs’ responsibilities to breastfeeding women.

Western Australian primary school teachers knowledge about childhood asthma and its management

A total of 164 primary school teachers from Perth, Western Australia anonymously completed a survey of their knowledge and attitudes about asthma. These teachers were active in assisting children with asthma management but most (91.5%) felt that they did not know enough about asthma. Attitudes toward children with asthma were positive; 97% agreed that such children should be encouraged to participate in sporting activities. Specific knowledge about asthma management and medications was, however, poor. This large sample of Western Australian teachers knew more than their European counterparts but asthma training is needed and should be targeted at improving knowledge of both regular and emergency treatments for asthma.

The nurse lecturer role in clinical practice conceptualized: helping clinical teachers provide optimal student learning

Despite the fairly wide reporting in the literature of the ma ny roles of clinical supervision by the nursing teacher, little attention has been given to conceptualizing the relative priorities these roles take during the process of supervising nursing students in clinical practice. The purpose of this paper is to consider the manifestations and implications of conflicting roles when nurse lecturers undertake clinical supervision. Previously published research will provide working examples of issues in a conceptual framework for clinical teaching.

Male Teachers in Feminised Teaching Areas: marching to the beat of the men's movement drums?

Calls for more male teachers are prevalent in current gender debates in education. A dominant argument in this debate is that boys are often alienated from school because of a lack of male role models in feminised areas of the school curriculum and in primary schools. Little research has investigated male teachers' accounts of their work within feminised environments. Drawing on data collected in two research studies in music education, this paper focuses on accounts given by male teachers about (a) practices adopted specifically to work with boys and (b) the role of the male music teacher. Analysis of these data suggests that some male teachers working in feminised areas of the school curriculum adopt practices which, rather than challenging dominant constructions of masculinity, sometimes reinforce gender stereotypical behaviours in boys. We argue that calls for increasing the number of male teachers in feminised areas of schooling need also to be informed by open discussion of the underlying assumptions about masculinity which teachers themselves bring to their work.