How Are Critical Friends Utilized? A Systematic Review of Self-Study in Physical Education Teacher Education

While Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices (S-STEP) is a widely used research method in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE), critical friends are often superficially described. This systematic review examined how critical friends are utilized and presented in PETE S-STEP research. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, we systematically reviewed 52 peer-reviewed journal articles in PETE. The result showed how six roles of critical friends are utilized, along with publication trends and author relationships. The analysis found that critical friends were prevalent but limited in reporting their roles and contributions. Furthermore, critical friends were less involved in data generation in the researcher’s practice. We advocate for future S-STEP research emphasizing the intentional application of critical friendship, including clear articulation of critical friend selection, independent data generation by critical friends, and explicit documentation of their contributions to enhance the rigor and trustworthiness.