Hybrid professional development systems in physical education: How problem-situations foster teachers’ reflective practice

The advent of digital learning technologies is paving the way for innovative approaches to enhance teacher professional development by integrating face-to-face interactions with online learning experiences. Nevertheless, the extent to which these hybrid systems facilitate the development of reflective practices among educators, particularly in the realm of physical education, which necessitates rapid decision-making, dynamic engagement, and practical problem-solving, remains ambiguous. This integrative review examines the potential of hybrid professional development frameworks that are anchored in authentic problem scenarios to foster reflective practices among physical education instructors. Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, we identified and analyzed sixteen studies sourced from prominent international databases, employing a qualitative synthesis complemented by a methodological evaluation through the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT).
The findings identify four interdependent mechanisms: (1) practice-based anchoring of reflective learning through authentic professional dilemmas; (2) stabilization of teaching activity through digital artefacts such as video and annotation tools; (3) collaborative inquiry processes within synchronous and asynchronous hybrid environments; and (4) generation of decision-making alternatives as indicators of reflective transformation.
Based on these results, the article proposes the H-SPTR framework (Hybridization–Situation–Praxis–Temporality–Reflectivity), a scalable conceptual model explaining how hybrid training systems may support reflective professional development.
The study highlights implications for designing low-cost technology-enhanced teacher training systems, especially in practice-oriented disciplines and resource-constrained educational contexts.