Abstract
Despite the motivational impact of teacher goal orientations and emotions, there is limited investigation on those who experience marginalization, such as Physical Education teachers. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among and differences in Physical Education teacher goal orientations and emotions. Inservice Physical Education teachers (N = 364) from across the U.S. completed demographic, goal orientations, and emotions surveys. Analysis of variance and path analysis tests found that goal orientations and emotions differed significantly by context, instructional level, and years of experience. Aiding teachers in the development of mastery, approach, and social goal orientations can increase positive teacher experiences – improving their effectiveness and well-being.
•First exploration of Physical Education teacher goal beliefs that include all five teacher goal orientations.•Physical Education teachers aligned and deviated from previous work on general subject classroom teachers.•Physical Education teachers goal orientation differ by context, grades taught, and years of teaching experiences.•Goal orientations beliefs were significantly related to teacher emotions (a representation of teacher well-being).•This studyhighlights the need for future research on the psychosocial aspects of teaching marginalized subject areas.