Discusses the definition of content knowledge for physical education, suggesting that teacher educators have largely given up the historic content knowledge of the field, thus eliminating the possibility of developing a serious body of pedagogical content knowledge for teaching. The paper examines the root problem in defining pre-professional…

Addresses junior sport and sport culture in New Zealand, recommending that it receive serious consideration for its crucial role in the future of New Zealand's sport culture. The paper presents three goals for junior sport programs (educative, public health, and elite development), describes characteristics of junior sport (e.g., youth want to…

Provides a history of the development of a curriculum and instruction model called Sport Education (which provides authentic, educationally rich sport experiences in the context of school physical education), reviewing theoretical and practical connections of Sport Education to other curricular and instructional models and exploring issues related…

Provides an overview of the field of teacher effectiveness research, describing the approaches one professor and his students have taken in their programmatic research examining teacher effectiveness from an ecological perspective of classroom life. The paper emphasizes methodologies, explaining that good data are the key to successful research,…

Reflects on various forces that have shaped who the author has become as a scholar and professional educator, relating 10 stories that describe lessons learned (e.g., have and use an explanatory system--be part of a tradition; all knowledge is provisional, so value inquiry; effective instruction is defined by sustained, deliberate practice; and do…

When comparing research strategies in physical education, it serves no purpose to characterize the quantitative approach as contrived, unnatural, rigid, ahistorical, and simplistic while describing the qualitative approach as natural, responsive, context-relevant, flexible, and complex. What is needed is dialogue regarding similarities and…

Findings are reported from a study which investigated how seven elementary physical education specialists developed rules, managerial routines, and performance expectations at the start of the school year. Routines and rules are identified, and instructional techniques are discussed. Comparisons are made based on years of experience and grade…

This article explores the conceptual and operational distinctions between effectiveness and expertise. Interviews, observation, and review of related literature suggest: (1) effectiveness and experience are necessary but not sufficient for achieving expertise; (2) expertise is specific to subject matter and context; (3) expertise can be explained…

Analyzes high school physical educators' work from curricular and instructional perspectives, suggesting that the ecology of instructional physical education (PE) cannot be understood without examining how PE is embedded within school ecology. PE is unlikely to achieve prominent status in schools if it continues to be delivered in traditional…