Physical education and sports teachers' and classroom teachers' perceptions of competence towards physical education and play course: Mixed method

The aim of this study is to examine the perceptions of physical education and sport teachers and primary school teachers about their competence in Physical Education and Games course and to identify the similarities and differences between these perceptions. For this purpose, the research was modelled using sequential researcher design from mixed method research. In the qualitative dimension of the research, phenomenology design was utilised and interviews were conducted with 5 physical education and sports teachers, 5 primary school teachers and 5 dual-branch teachers who were educated in the fields of both primary school teaching and physical education and sports teaching with a semi-structured interview form. In the quantitative dimension of the study, a total of 322 participants, 162 primary school teachers and 160 physical education and sports teachers, were reached by using the Physical Education Course Teacher Efficacy Scale developed by Kara (2007). In data analysis, MAXQDA 2020 software was used for qualitative data and SPSS 25.0 package programme was used for quantitative data. In the findings of the qualitative data, themes related to the teachers' thoughts about the physical education course, the difficulties they encountered and the in-class implementation processes emerged. These findings show that branch teachers have a higher perception of competence, especially in terms of field knowledge and experience. Additionally, quantitative findings revealed that the competence scores of physical education and sport teachers were statistically higher than those of primary school teachers, and this finding was in parallel with the qualitative data. According to the data obtained, it was determined that physical education and sports teaching graduates had higher perceptions of efficacy with the effect of their field knowledge and practical experience, and that teachers who regularly do sports have higher perceptions of competence towards physical education course. In conclusion, the effectiveness of the physical education and games course can be increased through both structural and pedagogical improvements. In addition, it is recommended that in-service training seminars be organized to support teachers' professional development. Considering that this course requires special field knowledge, it is emphasized that physical education and sports teachers should be employed in schools where the course is taught. Keywords: Physical education, game, competence, teacher.