The Effectiveness of Content Knowledge Instruction in Tennis and Badminton in Physical Education Teacher Education

Abstract

Purpose: Our research examined the effects of a content course in a physical education teacher education program. Methods: Ten participants were recruited from a physical education teacher education content course to examine participants’ common content knowledge (CCK) and specialized content knowledge (SCK) in tennis and badminton. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to investigate (a) participants’ pre–post gains in CCK and SCK, (b) the relationship between participants’ playing and teaching experience with CCK and SCK, and (c) the relationship among the dependent variables in both pretest and posttest. Results: Participants’ content knowledge variables increased significantly. Furthermore, the study revealed inconsistent relationships between participants’ self-reported playing, teaching, and coaching experiences with their CCK and SCK scores at the pretest. We found inconsistent relationships between CCK and SCK among pre- and posttests. Discussion/Conclusion: The primary finding is that preservice teachers can improve substantively their content knowledge through well-designed content courses, but in some domains, there is more work to do.