Higher, faster, stronger? Pedagogical content knowledge of sports teachers: conceptualization, measurement, validation

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Stefan Meier
• Subject Area: General and Domain-Specific Teaching and Learning
• Term: from 2015 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 273342642

Pedagogical content knowledge is considered as a central cognitive component of the professional competence of teachers. Approaches to the conceptualization and measurement of pedagogical content knowledge for prospective and professional teachers have been developed increasingly in recent years with a considerable emphasis on mathematics as a subject (E.g. in the framework of the DFG funded studies of TEDS-M, TEDS-FU). In recent times, also other subjects move into focus, such as German and English within the framework of the BMBF funded study Teacher Education and Development Study: Learning to Teach (TEDS-LT). In comparison, corresponding work in the area of teacher research for the subject sports are still at the beginning. Therefore, the aim of this study is taking into account the theoretical approach of TEDS studies to capture empirically pedagogical content knowledge of prospective sports teachers, representing the basis for a sports lesson that goes beyond the functional aspects of sports movement behavior in the sense of higher, faster, stronger. For this purpose a theoretical education and didactic area dedicated test instrument will be designed, pre piloted in smaller samples, then didactically and empirically optimized and piloted in a broader sample (incl. contrast population). Samples of different stages of training and expertise will be selected at various locations of North Rhine-Westphalia. Through the piloting of the test instrument to a wider sample, a contribution to the sports teaching theory in the field of teacher profession research will be presented. In addition, the test instrument shall be suitable for comparative studies (E.g., to assess the effectiveness of sports educational learning opportunities in sports teacher education).

• DFG Programme: Research Grants