PE and Health teachers - attitudes, knowledge and skills
Diagnostic information from students entering at university level is not regular a part of planning for forthcoming students and courses. A variety of information, that could adjust courses in relation to the students, is often left out.
In Sweden a new teacher-training program was established in 2001. Students can choose among different pathways and create their own variation of teacher-training courses. Teacher specialisation towards PE and Health is one of the most common alternative and can be chosen at 16 universities. About 600 students get their PE and Health teacher degree every year.
The aims of this study are i) to describe the current PE and Health teacher students and ii) to reflect the character of the future PE and Health teacher on a research base.
About 450 questionnaires from students located at 16 universities were collected during May 2006. The questionnaire includes i) background ii) knowledge related to sports and physical activities and iii) experiences from education in the area of physical activities and health.
The results focus on the above mentioned areas and similarities and differences between the universities in the light of the forthcoming PE and Health students, courses, teachers and leaders.