Weijia is a doctoral researcher at Loughborough University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Education from Zhengzhou University and a master’s degree in Education from University College London (UCL). Before beginning his doctoral studies, he studied education in both China and the United Kingdom. He also has a background as an athlete in China and holds the Chinese National Grade Two Athlete qualification in athletics. His personal and academic background brings together experience of athletics training and university study in education. Having experienced both sporting and educational settings, he brings an athlete’s perspective to his academic work alongside the knowledge developed through his undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
Weijia’s research interests focus on pre-service physical education teachers and teacher development. He is interested in pre-service teachers’ learning experiences and professional growth, and how teacher education supports their transition into teaching and their continuing development. He also has an interest in sports policy and sports schools in China, particularly the implementation of sport–education integration policies and the relationship between academic education and athletic training.