Assessment of Student’s Competence in Physical Education: Approaches and Methodology

Abstract

The competence in physical education (PE) is an assessment of a person's ability to lead a physically active lifestyle. The lack of an integrated approach to assessing the success of student’s training in PE does not allow a systematic, transparent and effective monitoring of the dynamics of the development of the personality of a competitive specialist, establishing the causes of problems and developing forecasts for the future. The goal of study was to develop and justify a system for assessing the competence of PE of students studying at universities and colleges. A survey of experts (N=82) was conducted to find out the importance of each of the structural elements of competence. The validity of proposed approaches was investigated. Three domains (“Movement Activity and Attitude to It,” “Physical Health and Fitness,” “Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities”) were distinguished in the structure of competence in PE, each of which was divided into 2–4 components. Designed assessment method covers all structural parts of the competence in PE, the goals of student learning, takes into account the list of necessary knowledge and skills in accordance with the requirements of the program, provides the formation of motivation for an active lifestyle, and maintains a level of physical activity sufficient for health. Developed method allows to determine the overall assessment of the formation of competence in PE, as well as a separate component, it gives an opportunity to calculate “critical” components, take into account interests and needs of students, teachers, and university / college administration.