Training Physical Education Preservice Teachers as Citizenship Educators Through a Transdisciplinary Plogging

This work presents the results of a practical action research aimed at assessing the potential of a teaching module based on Plogging to train Physical Education Pedagogy students as citizenship educators. To achieve this educational objective, two ways were used: (a) the acquisition of teaching knowledge through participation in a module to educate citizenship through physical education, and (b) the development of their own citizenship skills through environmental action. The Plogging was designed under a transdisciplinary model, which brought physical education, environmental education and citizenship education into dialogue. The evaluation of the module was carried out under three objectives: (1) determine the students’ ideas about the contributions of the module to their teacher training; (2) identify the citizen competencies deployed in the activity; and (3) recognize the strengths, weaknesses and proposals for improvement of the implemented experience. Three instruments were used to collect information: surveys, field notes and a discussion group, which was then processed with a qualitative thematic analysis. The results point to the potential of the Plogging module implemented to offer practical keys to teachers in training about citizenship education from physical education under a transdisciplinary perspective, as well to strengthen their own citizenship competences. Likewise, a series of strengths, weaknesses and proposals were identified and will be taken into account in the redesign of the module.