European Physical Education Teacher Education Practices

To maximize learning opportunities in physical education, a range of conditions needs to be met. One of the most crucial conditions is qualified physical education teachers. Consequently, it is necessary for physical education teacher candidates to engage in meaningful, relevant, and worthwhile educational experiences and upskilling opportunities on entering the teacher education program, on graduation, and on starting their careers.

For this reason, there is a need to examine physical education teacher education in European countries and effective physical education teacher education practices being employed across European countries. This book directly addresses both issues. The shared template in each chapter allows the reader to identify a specific aspect of physical education teacher education they may be interested in and map this across 24 European countries. With a specific focus on physical education teacher education, the book explores the main areas of initial teacher education, induction, and professional development of each country.



Ann MacPhail is a physical education teacher educator in the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences at the University of Limerick, Ireland. Her teaching and research interests revolve around physical education curriculum and assessment, teacher education and curriculum and instruction models.

Züleyha Avşar is a physical education teacher educator in the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences at the Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey. Her teaching and research interests are physical education teacher education, curriculum development in physical education, standards and accreditation in PETE.