Physical Education teaching competencies assessed with observational instruments in randomised studies: a systematic review

Introduction: Direct observation has been used as a method to analyse teacher practices in Physical Education for years. Although some systematic reviews have focused on the role of teachers in Physical Education, none of them have centred on the observation instruments used to assess teaching competencies. Objective: This systematic review aims to analyse the observational instruments used to assess teaching competencies in Physical Education, identify the competencies that they include, and examine observation methods and observer training processes in papers which used a randomised sample. Methodology: The PRISMA protocol was followed, and the search yielded 783 articles. Inclusion criteria were related to the appearance of the competencies, the use of observational instruments, and the randomization of the sample. Results: Seven papers exceeded the inclusion criteria. The most common teaching competence was providing feedback to students, but others such as lesson management, student involvement, or the use of informative language were found. The studies used various observational instruments for the evaluation of teaching competencies. Discussion: The analysis of the observation tools revealed a variety of approaches, none of which attempted to provide a comprehensive analysis of teaching competencies in Physical Education. Conclusions: We emphasize the need to develop an observational instrument to assess the essential teaching competencies that Physical Education teachers should possess.