Physical Education Teacher Education Students Research Articles

(Reinforcing) factors influencing a physical education teacher’s use of the direct instruction model teaching games

The purpose of this study was to explore how a physical education (PE) teacher employed the direct instruction model (DIM) teaching games in a United Kingdom secondary school. The research sought to identify how the teacher utilised the DIM and those factors that influenced his use of the model. Occupational socialization was used to identify the factors that encouraged his use of the DIM. Data were collected from interviews and lesson observations. Inductive data analysis showed that while the teacher presented a ‘full version’ of the DIM, his limited content knowledge impacted on the use of the model in teaching cricket. Factors influencing his use of the model were a sporting perspective, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education mentor and the ability and behaviour of the students. These factors reinforced his undergraduate learning and subsequent use of the DIM. It is suggested that the comparable backgrounds of many PE student teachers may make the DIM an apt model to learn in undergraduate and postgraduate PE courses. However, effective use of the model requires students to be taught and to possess in-depth content knowledge of the game(s)/activities being taught and learned.

The Influences on Teaching Perspectives of Australian Physical Education Teacher Education Students: The First-Year Influences on Teaching Perspectives Exploratory (FIT-PE) Study

There has been a paucity of literature investigating the teaching beliefs and intentions of Australian physical education teacher education (PETE) students that enter teacher training. The First-year Influences on Teaching Perspectives Exploratory (FIT-PE) study explores the teaching perspectives of first year PETE students; including teaching perspectives predicted as being dominant and important for physical education teaching. The teaching perspectives inventory (TPI) was administered to 105 Australian PETE students. Independent t-tests and one-way ANOVA statistical tests were conducted to compare average teaching perspective summary scores across demographic variables. The FIT-PE study findings revealed 18 year olds (compared to 20-25 year olds) and PETE students from rural backgrounds (compared to regional) had significantly higher average summary scores for the transmission (content-oriented) teaching perspective. This paper provides reflective opportunities for teacher training programs of the underlying core teaching values (beliefs and intentions) of students at the entry point of PETE training.

Medical students and physical education students as CPR instructors: an appropriate solution to the CPR-instructor shortage in secondary schools?

BackgroundIntegrating cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training in secondary schools will increase the number of potential CPR providers. However, currently too few certified instructors are available for this purpose. Training medical students and physical education student teachers to become CPR instructors could decrease this shortage.AimExamine whether medical students and physical education student teachers can provide CPR training for secondary school pupils as well as (i. e., non-inferior to) registered nurses.MethodsA total of 144 secondary school pupils were randomly assigned to CPR training by a registered nurse (n = 12), a medical student (n = 17) or a physical education student teacher (n = 15). CPR performance was assessed after training and after eight weeks in a simulated cardiac arrest scenario on a resuscitation manikin, using manikin software and video recordings.ResultsNo significant differences were found between the groups on the overall Cardiff Test scores and the correctness of the CPR techniques during the post-training and retention test. All pupils showed sufficient CPR competence, even after eight weeks.ConclusionTraining by medical students or physical education student teachers is non-inferior to training by a registered nurse, suggesting that school teachers, student teachers and medical students can be recruited for CPR training in secondary schools.

Czech self-efficacy scale for physical education majors towards children with disabilities

Backround: Including students with disabilities into general physical education (PE) is currently common practice in most European countries. SE-PETE-D is based on Bandura's self-efficacy model. SE-PETE-D measures self-efficacy of PE teacher education majors' toward including students with intellectual disabilities (ID), physical disabilities (PD) and visual impairment (VI) in PE frameworks. Objective: The main purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of SE-PETE-D in Czech language. Methods: Transformation and standardization of the questionnaire was done in several steps. The English version of the questionnaire was translated into Czech, followed by back-translation procedure. The sample included 252 (101 females, 151 males) PE students from five Czech universities. We conducted Cronbach's alpha method for assessment of reliability and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for assessment of validity. Results: The coefficient of Cronbach's alpha reached good values (α for PD scale = .87, α for VI scale = .90, α for ID scale = .76). CFA performed for each subscale confirmed two factors in ID scale (F1 peers' instruction, F2 staying on task), three factors (F1 specific adaptations, F2 peers' instruction, F3 safety) in PD scale and two factors (F1 specific adaptations, F2 peers' instruction) in VI scale. CFA confirmed factor structure of Block, Hutzler, Barak, and Klavina (2013) results. The chi-square was significant in all models except for ID (p = .44), other goodness of fit measures demonstrated acceptable model fit. Conclusions: The particular subscales with the items confirmed exhibit significant construct validity evidence that they can be used to explore the impact of different programs on self-efficacy in PE teacher education students. However we have to continue in the process of validation of SE-PETE-D-CZ in the Czech setting.

Video Editing: A Service-learning Assignment in Adapted Physical Education

For most physical education teacher education (PETE) programs, the constraints surrounding the undergraduate curriculum (e.g., number of credit hours, dual content certificates such as health and physical education, content knowledge) limit PETE programs to offering only one course in adapted physical education (APE) with the expectation that this training is sufficient to prepare highly qualified teachers to teach students with disabilities in general and adapted physical education. The inclusion of service learning (SL) methods in the APE curriculum is one approach to facilitating the successful preparation of preservice teachers to teach students with disabilities by increasing their opportunity to connect information learned in their program to the “real world.” Assessment strategies used in the APE course must tap into this naturalistic setting of the SL experience and ensure preservice students are prepared to assume the duties of a future professional. This article discusses how an APE course used a video-editing SL project to document student learning and performance in the Adapted Physical Education National Standards and prepare future general PETE students to teach students with disabilities.

The No-Participation of Students in Physical Education: A Comparative Study of Tunisian Trainee Teachers

Although most students are conscious of the benefits of physical activity, there is a small proportion that practices sufficiently physical activity. Firstly, our studies aimed to find out the degree of importance of the problematic of no-participation of students in physical education. For this reason, we based our analysis on a questionnaire consisting of eighteen questions that were variables to clarify the latent construct “the no-participation of students”. The value of Cronbach alpha index is 0.723. For this, we had used a questionnaire consisting of eighteen variables in order to find out the degree of importance of the variables associated to the no-participation of students. Our data were collected in the end of the course with 150 physical education student teachers (PE-STs) at the Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education (ISSEP) in Tunisia. They are all mixed classes of Level 1 and 2 (first and second year of secondary school) teachers. These questions are constructed to give the PE-STs the opportunity to distribute their responses to the no-participation variables such as the physical complex, motivation, hourly, Injury, study sector, teacher Characteristics, external influences, and relationship with other students, infrastructure, lesson content and sport taught. The major response of PE-STs response is in the following order: 1) Teacher Characteristics (72.7%), 2) Relationship with other students and Motivation (69.3%), 3) Relationship with teacher (66.7%).

Procedures and reasoning for skill proficiency testing in physical education teacher education programs

AbstractThis study sought to determine how the testing of skill proficiency is being conducted in physical education teacher education (PETE) programs in the USA and how fitness or skill proficiencies, as attributes of a physical educator, are perceived. Participants were 312 college PETE program coordinators who completed an online survey about skill testing in their program. The eligible respondents yielded a 52.7% total response rate. Most participants believed that skill proficiency for PETE students was important, but only 46% of programs reported testing within their program. Many participants stated it was possible for their students to graduate without demonstrating proficiency in skill technique, yet were confident their students would pass an independent skill test. Only 46.2% of respondents indicated their students needed to demonstrate proper skill technique in order to graduate, and there was no consistent method of assessment. Responses were evenly split regarding the importance of a physica...

Strength Training in Males and Females – Motives, Training Habits, Knowledge, and Stereotypic Perceptions

Despite scientific evidence regarding the benefits of strength training, participation rates in the general population, particularly among females, remain low. Physical education student teachers are a subset of the population whose aim is to educate the public about the paramount importance of physical activity, including the importance of strength training. This study aimed to explore physical education student teachers’ motives for participation in, knowledge of, and stereotypic perceptions regarding strength training, as well as their strength training habits. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 204 male and female physical education student teachers from a physical education teachers college located in central Israel. Findings regarding training habits from the sample show that about 80 % of the females participating in strength training used light-moderately light resistance in their routine, while about half of the strength training males used light-moderately light resistance and half used heavier resistance. Regarding motives, muscular development was rated as the strongest motive among participants who did light-moderately light weights compared with participants who exercised with heavier weights. No significant gender differences were demonstrated. Strength training participants received higher scores in knowledge of strength training compared to non-strength training participants. The most promising result of this study is that more knowledge was associated with perceptions favoring strength training for both females and males. Still, physical education student teachers, especially males, as well as non-strength training females, held stereotypic perceptions regarding strength training and gender role expectations. Therefore, increased knowledge about strength training may prove to be helpful in decreasing these stereotypic perceptions.

Using Social Media within Physical Education Teacher Education

This article reports on a project investigating the use of social media within physical education teacher education (PETE). It specifically describes how a professional Facebook group was set up and used by PETE students in one university in England and another in the United States. The article outlines some of the professional topics the respective student teachers discussed and shares some of their reactions to the experience. The use of social media offers a forum for student teachers that aligns with contemporary thinking around informal professional learning and development.

On racism and prejudice: exploring post-critical possibilities for service-learning within physical education teacher education

Service-learning (S-L) is becoming an increasingly prominent pedagogical practice within physical education teacher education (PETE) contexts [Miller, M. P., & Nendell, J. D. (Eds.). (2011). Service-learning in physical education and related professions: A global perspective. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett]. While numerous benefits for students and community partners have been reported, S-L programs are not without their critics. Concerns primarily centre upon the problematic nature of the server–served dichotomy which typically places students (as servers) in positions of power and privilege; reasserting notions of ethnocentrism and paternalism. Responding to these limitations, and drawing upon Biesta's [2006. Beyond learning. Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers, 2013. Receiving the gift of teaching: From learning from to being taught by. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 32(5), 449–461] idea of a pedagogy of interruption, the aim of this research project was to implement a unique approach to S-L within a PETE context, which aimed to reframe ethical responsibility towards the ‘Other’. Through this approach, students were invited into community partner engagements where they could be open to the possibility of ‘being taught by the Other’ [Biesta, G. (2013). Receiving the gift of teaching: From learning from to being taught by. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 32(5), 449–461]. Using self-study research methodology and drawing upon psychoanalytic theory in education [Biesta, G. (2006). Beyond learning. Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers; Britzman, D. (1998). Lost subjects, contested objects: Toward a psychoanalytic inquiry of learning. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press; Todd. S. (2001). ‘Bringing more than I contain’: Ethics, curriculum and the pedagogical demand for altered egos. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 33(4), 431–450], I reflected upon this approach to S-L. I sought to make sense of my experiences of deep discomfort when engaging with this difficult pedagogical work, as well as the experiences of racism and prejudice revealed by PETE students.

Value orientations of student physical education teachers learning to teach on school-based initial teacher education courses in England

There has been considerable interest in the socialisation of (student) physical education (PE) teachers, the beliefs and values developed as a result of this socialisation and the impact of these on teachers’ learning, behaviours and practices and the curriculum. Many studies looking at the beliefs and values of PE teachers have used the values orientation instrument (VOI). However, as far as we know, in England there has only been one study using the VOI to study the value orientations of PE teachers and none which has studied the value orientations of student PE teachers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to look at the value orientations of secondary student PE teachers learning to teach in England. Two hundred and seventy two student PE teachers studying on both one year postgraduate certificate of education and four year undergraduate PE initial teacher education (ITE) courses at four universities in England completed the revised VOI (VOI-2) once during the academic year. Means and standard deviations were used to calculate the score for each value orientation across the whole sample, Pearson product–moment correlation coefficients were computed to determine the relationships between value orientations and one way analysis of variance tests were used to test for any differences between the groups according to gender and course/year on course for undergraduate student PE teachers. Results showed some variability in the value orientations given highest and lowest priority by different groups of student PE teachers in this study. However, with a few exceptions, learning process, ecological integration and self-actualisation were consistently given highest priority, whilst social responsibility and disciplinary mastery were consistently given lowest priority. There were some relationships between value orientations, but the only difference between groups was between male and female student PE teachers on learning process. Results are compared to the results of a similar study in England, and discussed in relation to possible reasons for the results, practical implications for meeting the aims and outcomes of the PE curriculum and for student PE teachers’ development on ITE courses and into their induction year.

Case study, poetic transcription and learning to teach indigenous movement in physical education

This article describes a case study designed to investigate some of the consequences of physical education teacher education (PETE) coursework to discern how students reinterpreted those experiences into their professional practice. In particular the article examines PETE student learning when teaching Māori1 content, te reo kori – the language of Māori movement, in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand secondary physical education. Te reo kori required the PETE students to teach less familiar Māori movement subject matter and cultural knowledge, while stepping in and out of their dual role of student, and teacher. Interviews, participant observation and field notes were the sources of data. Special attention is given to the use of poetic transcription to place key PETE participants’ experience in a social and historical context; to give voice to their emotions, vulnerabilities, and actions; and to reveal something of their perceptions and practices.

PEMBELAJARAN PENDIDIKAN JASMANI BERBASIS MULTIASPEK, KOLABORATIF, DAN SINTESIS KEUNGGULAN SUMBER BELAJAR

Abstract: The Learning of Physical Education Based on Multi-Aspect Competence, Collaboration, and Synthesis of Learning Resource Advantages. This study aims to: (1) sharpen the pragmatic aspects of a model for briefing physical education student-teachers on their competence; (2) improve the institutional policy concerning ways of briefing them on their competence in physical education oriented to the present conditions; (3) develop the substance of the physical education microteaching; (4) improve the recognition of expertise from peers; and (5) map the networking of the partner institutions. This study employed a combination of methods consisting of a library study, descriptive survey, and action research. The data were collected through questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions. The findings show that the briefing model should comprise (1) multi-aspect competence, i.e. pedagogic, personal, professional, and social aspects; (2) collaboration by involving other relevant and competent parties; and (3) learning-resource sharing by making use of advantages of learning resources in the campus and partner schools. Keywords: learning of physical education, multi-aspect competence, collaboration, learning-resource sharing

Aproximación a los significados e interpretaciones de la lesión en futuros docentes de educación física por medio de narraciones autobiográficas (An approach to meaning and significance of the injured body in prospective physical education teachers throug

El presente artículo muestra el modo en que una lesión deportiva puede derivar en un acontecimiento que cambia la vida de un potencial docente del área de Educación Física, así como las consecuencias para el desarrollo personal que de ella resultan. De la misma manera, los datos resaltan los dilemas a los que esta persona se enfrenta para sentirse cómodo con su propio cuerpo cuando su «imagen de sí» se ha distorsionado. Así, se pretende ayudar a entender de qué manera las subjetividades individuales expresadas en relatos autobiográficos llegan a construir, entender y valorar el cuerpo y el sentido del yo surgidos a raíz de la lesión deportiva. Para dar respuesta a los objetivos pretendidos, metodológicamente nos apoyamos en las posibilidades que brinda la historia de vida como método de introspección, toma de conciencia y modo de conectar con las experiencias corporeizadas del futuro profesorado del ámbito de la Educación Física.Abstract: This study shows how a sport injury can lead to an event that changes a prospective physical educator’s life and the consequences for the personal development that result from it. The same way, the data highlight the dilemma that this person faces to feel comfortable with their own body when his «self-image» has been distorted. In doing so, the article seeks to help us to understand how individual subjectivities expressed on autobiographical narratives about sport injuries go as far as to construct and understand the body and the meaning of the self arising after the injury. With this intention in mind, we rely on the possibilities that life story provides as method of self-analysis, awareness, and a way of connecting with the embodied experiences of physical education student teachers.

A multifactorial injury prevention intervention reduces injury incidence in Physical Education Teacher Education students

Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) students are at considerable risk for non-contact sports injuries of the lower extremities. Multifactorial injury prevention interventions including exercises have been successful in sports populations, but no such study has ever been performed in PETE students. This study investigated the efficacy of a multifactorial injury prevention intervention on injury incidence reduction in PETE students. PETE students in the intervention group (n = 154) and in the control group (n = 189) registered sports injuries prospectively. The intervention lasted one academic year and consisted of an injury awareness programme and preventive strategies, implemented by the PETE sports lecturers. Differences in injury incidence between the intervention and control group were tested by Poisson regression Wald tests. There was a trend towards significantly lower incidence rate (2.18 vs. 2.73; p = 0.061) in the intervention group compared with the control group. Students in the intervention group had significantly less acute, first-time and extracurricular injuries. The largest reduction was observed for injuries during unsupervised practice sessions. A multifactorial injury prevention intervention embedded into a regular PETE programme is a promising and feasible strategy to prevent injuries in PETE students. Further research is needed to investigate whether the results may be generalised to other PETE programmes.

Overcoming acculturation: physical education recruits' experiences of an alternative pedagogical approach to games teaching

Background: Physical education teacher education (PETE) programmes have been identified as a critical platform to encourage the exploration of alternative teaching approaches by pre-service teachers. However, the socio-cultural constraint of acculturation or past physical education and sporting experiences results in the maintenance of the status quo of a teacher-driven, reproductive paradigm. Previous studies have reported successfully overcoming the powerful influence of acculturation, resulting in a change in PETE students' custodial teaching beliefs and receptiveness to alternative teaching approaches. However, to date, limited information has been reported about how PETE students' acculturation shaped their receptiveness to an alternative teaching approach. This is particularly the case for PETE recruits identified in the literature as most resistant to change.Purpose: To explore the features and experiences of an alternative games teaching approach that appealed to PETE recruits identified as most resistant to change, requiring a specific sample of PETE recruits with strong, custodial, traditional physical education teaching beliefs, and whom are high-achieving sporting products of this traditional culture. The alternative teaching approach explored in this study is the constraints-led approach (CLA), which is similar operationally to Teaching Games for Understanding, but distinguished by a neurobiological theoretical framework (nonlinear pedagogy) that informs learning design.Participants and setting: A purposive sample of 10 Australian PETE students was recruited for the study. All participants initially had strong, custodial, traditional physical education teaching beliefs, and were successful sporting products of this teaching approach. After experiencing the CLA as learners during a games unit, participants demonstrated receptiveness to the alternative pedagogy.Data collection and analysis: Semi-structured interviews and written reflections were sources of data collection. Each participant was interviewed separately, once prior to participation in the games unit to explore their positive physical education experiences, and then again after participation to explore the specific games unit learning experiences that influenced their receptiveness to the alternative pedagogy. Participants completed written reflections about their personal experiences after selected practical sessions. Data were qualitatively analysed using grounded theory.Findings: Thorough examination of the data resulted in establishment of two prominent themes related to the appeal of the CLA for the participants: (i) psychomotor (effective in developing skill) and (ii) inclusivity (included students of varying skill level). The efficacy of the CLA in skill development was clearly an important mediator of receptiveness for highly successful products of a traditional culture. This significant finding could be explained by three key factors: the acculturation of the participants, the motor learning theory underpinning the alternative pedagogy and the unit learning design and delivery. The inclusive nature of the CLA provided a solution to the problem of exclusion, which also made the approach attractive to participants.Conclusions: PETE educators could consider these findings when introducing an alternative pedagogy aimed at challenging PETE recruits' custodial, traditional teaching beliefs. To mediate receptiveness, it is important that the learning theory underpinning the alternative approach is operationalised in a research-informed pedagogical learning design that facilitates students' perceptions of the effectiveness of the approach through experiencing and or observing it working.

Comparative Study of Physical Education Students Teachers Style Interventions Teaching Styles Skill

The first classroom experiences are essential to learn how to teach. Anxiety and doubts related to their abilities to teach are the main characteristics that define the novice teachers (Scott, 1995). The aim of the research is to study the educational intervention of the physical education student teachers (PEST) and their evolution in the period of the preparation training for the professional life from the perspective of teaching styles that they used. Participants who had accepted to participate in this study were physical education students registered at high institute of sports and physical education in Tunisia (ISSEP). All were young males (21 ± 1 years old) enrolled in an introductory course to professional life, what we call in Tunisia introductory course to practice pedagogy (introductory practicum applied to pedagogy), where share of the curriculum was of the last year of the fundamental of physical education license. This professional learning activity was held in three high schools with mixed age classes (12 - 14 years old pupils) of a rural area in Tunis. The activity lasted two semesters, four hours per week on Tuesday or Thursday for a cumulative total time of 116 hours of teaching. A macro analysis of the results showed that the preferred styles by PEST were command style, practical style and reciprocal style (Table 1). The micro analysis of each of these styles indicated that ten sessions (62.5%) had been conducted with the command style of teaching, four (25%) with the practical teaching style, and only two (12.5%) with the reciprocal teaching style. Finally, this study shows that the plurality teachers prefer teaching with the style of command that represents the lower limit of individualization; autonomy and creativity as the teacher centers his intervention on its own activities and not on the activity of the student.

The Tunisians Cooperative Teachers and Student Teachers’ Conceptions about Class Management Skill

The first teaching year is a crucial time for professional growth and teacher development requiring pedagogical and emotional support from a qualified mentor. According to Ingersoll (2003), 46% of all teachers in public schools will leave the profession within their first five years of teaching. Until 1990, there was a considerable discussion about how the novice teachers can develop more competence. There has been limited empirical research on the effectiveness of physical education student teacher (PESTT), particularly as they relate to teaching. The aim of this research is to study the conceptions of Authority of Tunisian High School Physical Education Cooperative teachers and student teachers. The method used in the quoted investigation is based on directing a semi-directive interview with 10 mentors and their PESTT (24) in the initiation of practical pedagogy, at the Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education (ISSEP) Ksar Saïd Tunis. The PESTT were teaching at a school in Tunis with mixed classes (aged 12 - 14). Data were collected from monitor interviews, PESTT interviews, observations and analysis of the PESTT teaching. Data analysis occurred, through the efforts of the teacher-researcher to meet the “on the spot” learning needs of his students; the systematic collection, organisation and analysis of the gathered data; and the peer debriefing, which occurred throughout the collection and writing processes. Two tendencies of unequal importance were constructed from analysis of data sources according to mentor reflections: a majority teacher-centred pedagogy (77%) and a minority student-centred pedagogy (22%). A number of themes emerged from the analysis of each case. These themes are discussed within the data resources from PESTT of how their perceptions of authority. This study shows that the commonly perception of mentors about their PESTT is negative. However, the findings of this study support the idea that PESTT can not well manage the indiscipline behaviour of their pupils and are not able to think about real reason of this problem.

Introduction of Student Teachers in Tunisian Secondary Schools: A Discourse Analysis of Cooperative Teacher

In reference to professional training for trainee teachers, the tutor or cooperative teacher (CT) is considered as an alternation between two environments, academia and training, contributing to the training by the advice and support. Our research provides “support for physical education student teachers (PE-STs)” as determinants of teaching advice of CT. This study includes a qualitative analysis which aims to identify the advice of CTs to the student teachers for whom they are responsible for training. It’s a descriptive/exploratory methodology based on observation and video recorded six (6) physical education (PE) sessions lasting one hour each and six semi structured interviews (30 minutes each) and gave CTs the opportunity to share their perspectives on broad topics such as professional training, teaching, and characteristics of the training environment and succinct topics such as training program and their preoccupation. Data were collected during 2 months of observations and interviews with six CTs during professional training of 12 PE-STs in Level 3 (third year, BAC+3). CTs justify their teaching by six categories in which we have grouped the different types of advice. The CTs are more interested by problems of organization and control students. They believe that educational content is worthless without a good control of the class.

Sports injuries in physical education teacher education students

Introduction: Sports injuries are highly disadvantageous for Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) students, since they can lead to physical discomfort and absence from sports classes. The purpose of this study is to investigate the magnitude of the injury problem in PETE students and to explore risk factors for sustaining an injury. Methods: During the first 2 semesters of the study year, 278 Dutch freshmen PETE students filled in the OSTRC Overuse Injury Questionnaire on a weekly basis to monitor injuries and illnesses. Furthermore, after each semester of 10 weeks all students were asked to retrospectively report all time-loss injuries. Results: During the 5 months follow-up period students reported on average 414 min of intracurricular and 276 min extracurricular sporting time. A total of 2071 online questionnaires were filled in by 258 students. In 76% of the cases no (problems by) injuries, illnesses or health problems were reported. In the other 479 questionnaires students reported one or more consequences on sporting participation or performance because of all types of problems. The reported injuries, illnesses or health problems led to difficulties during sports (23%), reduced sports activity (21%) and reduced sports performance (24%). Also symptoms/health complaints were experienced (15%). The average weekly severity score of all reported problems was 32 (on a 0–100 scale). Students with a history of mild injury (>8 days) had a greater change of suffering a new injury during their study than those without injury history in the past year (p = 0.04). Also students with an injury at the start of the study year were more prone to a new injury in comparison with non-injured students (p = 0.01). None of the other factors were identified as significant risk factors for sustaining an injury. In total, 197 time-loss injuries were reported by 144 students. Injury time loss ranged from 1 to 44 days, with a median of 6 days, for students who already recovered from their injury (n = 38). Most injuries were acute (56%) and occurred during intracurricular activities (62%). The most commonly injured body parts were: lower leg (anterior) (19%), knee (16%), ankle (14%) and shoulder (13%). Injuries occurred during gymnastics (21%), athletics and soccer (both 16%). Discussion: The risk of sustaining an injury or becoming ill is high for freshmen PETE students. Injury history (an injury in the previous year as well as being injured at the start of the study year) is the most important risk factor.