Abstract
Core practices (CPs) have been proposed as high-leverage clusters of teaching practices, and thus offer a framework for structuring physical education (PE), teacher education (PETE), and PE teachers’ continuing professional development (CPD). However, a set of CPs for PE aligned with German-speaking norms for high-quality PE has been lacking. This study aimed to (1) identify and formulate a set of CPs in PE and (2) examine how in-service PE teachers assess their relevance. An exploratory mixed-methods design was used: First, in the qualitative phase, the project team generated an initial set of CPs in PE and, based on expert feedback, differentiated between CPs in PE, describing PE teachers’ classroom performance, and more elaborated CPs for PETE and PE teachers’ CPD. Secondly, in the quantitative phase, 92 PE teachers rated eight CPs on their importance for PE, frequency of enactment, and relevance for PETE. The results of t tests comparing each mean rating with the scale midpoint indicated that all CPs were rated significantly above the midpoint, with moderate-to-large effect sizes. This pattern suggests high perceived relevance of the CPs for both PE and PETE, as well as their frequent enactment in practice. Repeated-measures analyses of variance showed differences between CPs, indicating that PE teachers differentiated meaningfully between them. The resulting set of eight CPs in PE, together with related CPs for PETE and CPD, offers a subject-specific framework for structuring PETE and CPD and provides a starting point for developing instruments to assess PE teachers’ CP-related performance and to evaluate CP-based programs.