Secondary PGCE PE studentsÕ perceptions of their subject knowledge

PE teachers in England are required to teach a wide range of physical activities in order to fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum for Physical Education (NCPE). The content or subject knowledge necessary to teach all areas of activity in the NCPE is acknowledged as important, both in its own right and as giving students confidence and accuracy for subject application. Subject knowledge is identified as one of the standards for the award of qualified teacher status on completion of an initial teacher education course in England. However, students entering secondary Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) PE courses bring with them a variety of experiences, qualifications and subject knowledge to teach the areas of activity in the NCPE. Most students have a sports-related degree. However, such degrees may not include subject knowledge appropriate to teach all six areas of activity in the NCPE. Students, there-fore, are required to gain subject knowledge on their one year PGCE course. The purpose of this study was to look at secondary PGCE PE students ’ perceptions of amount of subject knowledge in the six areas of activity that comprise the NCPE. A