Assessment experiences in physical education: An approach from teacher education

Abstract

The aim of this study is to understand the experiences of a group of university students with the assessment carried out during their time as physical education (PE) students in grade school. A qualitative study was carried out with 45 students from the Education Faculty. Each participant wrote a retrospective account of their experiences and participated in two focus groups. The results are organized into three categories derived from the analysis: the content and knowledge assessed, the means used, and the criteria applied. The results highlight the tendency to assess the dominant contents of the subject (games in primary school and sports and fitness in secondary school) and to assess theoretical, practical, and attitudinal knowledge in an isolated manner, employing different means for each. It was also observed that the assessment criteria applied by teachers were in line with those proposed by the official curriculum. Likewise, differences were found between the assessment models used in each of the educational stages.