Framing bodies of knowledge within the 'acoustics' of the school: Exploring pedagogical transition through newly qualified physical education teacher experiences

This article explores the sociological dynamics of pedagogic transition that occur with the passage of newly qualified teachers (NQTs) of Physical Education (PE) into their first posts. It draws its empirical illustration from life history and ethnographic data collected in 2006, from two first-post NQT status PE teachers with contrasting experiences, Pete and Jayne (pseudonyms). In approaching this task, we utilise the influential theoretical frameworks forwarded by Basil Bernstein and Pierre Bourdieu in a collaborative rather than an oppositional manner. More specifically, by viewing Bernstein's discursive codes and code modalities as embedded in the body through the use of Bourdieu's habitus, we explore the metaphors of resonance and dissonance felt in relation to the 'school acoustic' that occurred through the interplay of strong and weak framing for these individuals. In the two contrasting cases presented, Pete experienced explicit support through strong framing of performance codes and as a consequence found an explicit resonance between these and his own habitus. He quickly negotiated his identity and began reproducing existing pedagogy and discourses. In the second case, Jayne experienced implicit support through the weak framing of valued discursive codes. Consequently, she was forced to draw on her habitus in uncertain ways and oriented towards perfection codes and innovative practices. However, gradually she found her habitus to be dissonant with the perfection code modalities dominating the acoustics of the school and subsequently left the institution. The article reflects on the potential for furthering a principled collaboration of Bernstein and Bourdieu's concepts in the manner undertaken here. It concludes by highlighting the possible uses of such a perspective for helping NQTs entering PE and for schools accepting these teachers.