There are calls for physical education teacher education programs to improve preservice teachers' (PSTs) content knowledge, as it appears to be related to their instructional effectiveness. Purpose: This proof-of-concept study aimed to explore the relationship between PSTs' content knowledge and their ability to teach using the Tactical Games Model (TGM). Methods: A quasi-experimental design was employed with 42 PSTs in an introductory pedagogy course. Content knowledge was assessed by common content knowledge and specialized content knowledge in content development and error analysis. Teaching effectiveness was evaluated using TGM teacher benchmarks. Results: PSTs improved in implementing TGM benchmarks and showed significant gains in all content knowledge areas. Additionally, the hierarchical regression analyses identified common content knowledge and specialized content knowledge in content development as significant predictors of TGM implementation. Discussion/Conclusion: These findings provide initial evidence that an introductory pedagogy course can serve as a developmental space for enhancing PSTs' content knowledge and effective game-based instruction.

This commentary bridges policy, practice, and research to provide an update on the status of mental health education and training for coaches, specifically those in K-12 educational settings. Our aim is to discuss current needs regarding student-athlete mental health and advocate one way to strengthen our response is to ensure coaches are trained and prepared to go beyond the “X’s and O’s.” We sought to advance the conversation on training coaches by mapping the current policy landscape of coach training and education in the U.S. regarding mental health, summarizing best practices for developing mental health trainings, and outlining opportunities for future research. For sport social workers, understanding the landscape across policy, practice, and research can help us work toward the mission of promoting individual and community well-being through partnerships between social work and athletics.

To date, there is a critical gap in our understanding of coach licensure and training requirements for school-based coaches across the United States. The current study categorizes the policy landscape for school-based coaches by examining public documents that outline state-specific ( N = 51) coach training requirements. In addition, authors engaged in an in-depth curriculum and cost analysis of required coach trainings in the state of Ohio to better understand training topics, costs, time commitments, and state-specific compliance criteria guiding coach education. Findings indicated most states ( n = 49, 96%) require training for coaches; however, governing bodies, training topics, and coach-specific training (i.e., assistant, volunteer, and middle school) varied significantly by state. Moreover, our curriculum and cost analysis revealed that licensure processes are costly and time-intensive, and training content predominantly focused on physical health and safety with less emphasis on social–emotional health and youth development. Findings have important education, practice, and policy implications for informing a national coach training agenda.

This study examined physical education teacher education (PETE) majors' common content knowledge (CCK), performance, and specialized content knowledge (SCK) of volleyball to see whether there is a difference between non-PETE majors, and how much they improved, while they were in the PETE program. Twenty-two participants from a PETE major volleyball content course and 21 participants from a non-PETE major basic instruction volleyball course for the comparison group. Pre- and post-tests of CCK, performance, and two SCK variables were used for the majors, and one pretest SCK variable (task progression) was used for the comparison group. Data are reported both descriptively and inferentially. The PETE majors showed better scores on the pretest for the SCK variable (task progression). Also, the PETE majors had significantly improved scores from pre- to post-test for all four variables. It needs further research studies for the content course of the PETE program to find the best way to proceed.

Coaching scholarship (CS) sits at the intersection of multiple paradigms and disciplines. Despite the eclectic nature of the field, most scholars operate only within their preferred paradigm, which limits how coaching is conceptualized and practiced. To address this limitation, we used the dialectic stance to analyze bibliometric records of CS produced between 1970 and 2020 from both an interpretivist and poststructuralist perspective. Using Web of Science , we identified 2,522 coaching articles and organized the bibliometric data into a time-ordered matrix representing five decades of CS: (a) number of publications per year, (b) country of origin, (c) institution, (d) journal, (e) author, and (f) most cited articles. Two research groups analyzed the data concurrently and independently using their respective paradigm. Next, the two groups came together to engage in dialogue and discover areas of convergence and divergence. Through the paradigmatic dialogue, the interpretivist research group realized they were operating in a postpositivist paradigm. Nevertheless, both groups determined CS was heavily influenced by Western societies, sport psychology, and the topic of motivation. The postpositivists highlighted evolutionary trends in CS, while the poststructuralists elucidated relations of power, understudied problems, and the consequences of the dominant knowledge produced.

Research finds engagement in sport-based positive youth development (PYD) programs contribute to key outcomes related to physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and mental health. Consistent, long-term participation ensures youth, especially those who are socially vulnerable, reap the most benefits. Even when common barriers are removed, retention remains a challenge. Using mixed methods, this study explored factors related to long-term retention among youth from socially vulnerable circumstances attending one sport-based PYD program. Factors related to youth participation in the previous year's program, as well as general youth demographics, were examined using difference tests and binomial logistic regression to explore retention among 124 of the 384 youth who returned to the program the following year. Results of the regression analyses showed the full model (with all predictors included), vs. an intercept-only model, was statistically significant, χ2 (11, N = 235) = 23.38, p = 0.02. The model correctly classified 88.2% of the non-returners and 28.0% of the returners for an overall correct classification rate of 67.2%. Better fitness levels, higher perceived social responsibility (an outcome targeted in the program), and some demographic variables (such as lower poverty rates and younger age) were associated with a greater probability of returning, although effect sizes were small. Additionally, interviews were conducted with 18 parent/caregivers of returning youth and 18 match comparison parent/caregivers of non-returning youth. Qualitative analyses revealed few differences in previous year's program experiences between returners and non-returners, as well as similarities in reported benefits from involvement. Both sets of parent/caregivers cited positive experiences overall, and particular benefits related to meeting new people and learning new sports. Parents/caregivers of non-returners, however, noted the value of physical literacy components of the program more so than their counterparts. Social interactions, both positive and negative, seem to have particular relevance for retention. Findings overall, however, demonstrate challenges with predicting retention and fostering long-term engagement among youth from socially vulnerable circumstances in programming.

Common content knowledge (CCK) is fundamental for quality instruction and critical to be acquired among physical education preservice teachers (PSTs). The purpose of this study was to develop a soccer CCK test for PSTs and to examine the validity and reliability of the test using Rasch measurement modeling. Two content experts developed a test in a multiple-choice question format, which was content validated by five in-service teachers and field-tested by 10 PSTs. Once content and face validities were confirmed, the test was given to 129 PSTs. The results confirmed that all the test items measured soccer CCK as a unidimensional construct, and the levels of the test items align with PSTs’ knowledge levels (mean square residuals – infit = 0.8 to 1.1; outfit = 0.8 to 1.3). The item separation index was 2.05 (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.81), and the person separation index was 1.99 (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.80), which assured that the test includes items with a wide range in difficulty levels to meet the variability of respondents’ knowledge levels. To conclude, the soccer CCK test is a valid and reliable instrument, and the test can be used to contribute to the field in practice and research. Those include, for instance, assessing PSTs’ learning gains of soccer content classes, improving the effectiveness of PSTs and in-service content education, and measuring the effects of differing soccer CCK on student learning in secondary physical education.

Previous research has demonstrated low levels of preservice teachers’ (PSTs) content knowledge due to their K-12 schooling and teacher education training. We examined two research questions: (a) What are the pre-test scores of PSTs for common content knowledge (CCK), performance (CCK-P), task progression knowledge and error analysis in badminton? and (b) What are the changes in pre-post scores for CCK, CCK-P, task progression knowledge, and error analysis after a badminton content class? Participants were eight male PSTs ranging from sophomore to senior year. All were assessed using pre-and-post tests of badminton CCK, CCK-P, instructional tasks, and error analysis. Data were reported descriptively to determine the difference between pre and post scores on the four variables. The results indicated that PSTs had low pretest scores on all four variables However posttest scores following the completion of the badminton content class demonstrated improvement on all variables except for task progression. Our results highlight the importance of content knowledge training in physical education teacher education (PETE) programs. We need additional research to strengthen the effectiveness of the evidence-base in PETE to build a body of literature that can enhance our practice.