The Mechanism of Agentic Habitus Formation in the Teacher Certification Exam Preparation of Novice Physical Education Majors

The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore the structural anxiety experienced by physical education (PE) undergraduates upon university entry and examine the developmental mechanisms of their agentic habitus against structural pressures. Data were gathered through narratives and reflective journals from ten PE majors students at a university in Region C. The findings were three-fold: First, confronting the severe selection mechanism of the teacher certification examination-a demanding pre-service field-novice learners suffered a rupture in their existing habitus, encountering "habitus hysteresis" and existential dread. Second, due to gendered department dynamics, mandatory military service was initially feared as a loss of physical and cultural capital; however, male participants exercised agency by redefining this period as a strategic opportunity for physical training. Third, students engaged in pluralistic practices-routinizing daily life, converting networks into strategic social capital, and cultivating self-reflexivity-thereby internalizing an active educator’s habitus. Ultimately, these structural crises paradoxically catalyzed ego-resilience and grit, laying a life-historical foundation for pedagogical expertise in actual school fields.