Busy, Happy, Good

1. Placek, J. (1983). Conceptions of success
in teaching: Busy, happy, and good? In T.
Templin & J. Oslin (Eds.), Teaching in
Physical Education (pp. 45–56).
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics
Renee Brown & Annie Machamer

2. Type – Purpose - Background
• Type: Qualitative
• Purpose: To present the results of 2 studies that examined how pe
teachers and undergraduate majors think about success in teaching
• Background: Research focus on…
– Interactive Teaching
• “What strategies work best?” (pg. 46)
• Observable variable of student learning = Teacher effectiveness
• Product/Process focus to improve teaching an teacher prep.

3. Significance
What did it report to add?
• Research Focus:
– Cognitive information processing
• “Teachers thinking”
• How teachers behave/what they do = what they think
• First Study:
– Examined Teachers Planning
• Sparking the next study to occur
• Second Study:
– Directly investigated conceptions of success in teaching

4. Methods: Study 1
• Planning
– Placek 1982 Study
• Setting
– Natural Setting
– Gym & Teachers offices
• Participants / Length
– 4 physical educators
– 2 weeks
• Data Collected
– Observer field Notes
– Teachers written plans
– Interview w/teacher

5. Analysis Methods; Study 1
• Influence One:
– Student enjoyment
• Ex: *article
• Influence Two:
– Participation
• Ex: *article
• Influence Three:
– Student Misbehavior
• Ex: *article
• Main Statements:
1. What activities will students
enjoy?
2. What activities provide the most
participation?
3. What activities have few
discipline problems?

6. Methods: Study 2
• Conceptions of Success
– Obtained indirectly as parts
of larger studies
– Critical incident technique
(Flanangan, 1954)
• Asked to identify a
specific instance of
success/non-success in
teaching
• Setting
– Questionnaire completed
during class. (volunteer)
• Participants
– Junior/Senior college
– PE Majors in specific content
– N=47
• Study Participants
– Teaching K-12
– N=29
– F=15, M=14

7. Analysis Methods; Study 2
• Instances of success in the
questionnaire were examined and
listed.
• Success Categories:
– Similar instances were grouped
– See to right
• Non-success Categories:
– Cause of the problem
– Behavior and consequences
– Some did not distinguish (so
categories were developed)
• Three categories of success:
1. If students demonstrated being
“happy”
– Ex: *article
1. If student learning occurred
– Ex: *article
1. Higher participation levels
– Ex: *article

8. Findings/Main arguments
• The findings about teaching and learning were obtained indirectly as parts of
larger studies
• Success Factors
– Student Enjoyment
– Student Participation
– Student Learning
• Non-success factors
– No control (external)
– Blamed themselves
– Discipline Problems
• Absence of “successful” events does no make an experience unsuccessful.
– Different Definitions of what constitutes success and non-success in teaching
– Experience and inexperience teachers view success the same way

9. Conclusions/implications for practice
and/or future research
• Teachers view success differently than researchers.
– Researchers designs studies to tease out variables of effective
teaching
– Teachers believe success is related to the immediate, observable
happenings. Participation (busy) Enjoying themselves (happy) and
doing what the teacher directs (Good)
– Problems may arise
• The goal is to produce teachers who are concerned with both student
learning and student enjoyment
– This may be fantasy

10. Take Away
• Renee: Teachers need to focus on student
enjoyment and student learning
simultaneously.
• Annie: Personal Experience, I saw the benefits
of focusing on learning and student
enjoyment.

11. Questions?
• In your opinion, what is it in the schools,
teaching situation, college education or
background of the teachers that causes them
to view learning as relatively unimportant?
• Can you relate your physical education
experience to the article?