An analysis of content development in physical education: Preschool teachers’ selection of instructional tasks

Abstract

In recent years, attention has been placed on dimensions of instructional quality. One critical element of this quality in preschool physical education (PE) is teachers’ ability to present content in a way that facilitates learning. This study aimed to describe the development of the content in PE in preschool. Participants in the study were 11 preschool teachers. Data were collected using systematic observations. Specifically, a modified version of the Task Structure System was used to observe three 40-minute lessons for each teacher. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that cognitive, informing, and extending tasks were observed much more frequently than applying tasks, whereas refining tasks were observed the least. Implications for teacher education programs are discussed.