Movement Content Knowledge Courses in Physical Education Teacher Education Programs in Russia

The purpose of this article was to examine the state of movement content knowledge (CK) courses in physical education teacher education (PETE) programs in Russia. Using document analysis, we evaluated official curriculum plans from 31 universities to determine the percentage of the curriculum devoted to CK, and we coded the assessment items in 82 course syllabi to determine the emphasis on Common Content Knowledge (CCK) versus Specialized Content Knowledge (SCK). Results show that 13.6% of the curriculum is dedicated to CK courses, with 74.4% of these courses prioritizing CCK. However, the findings indicate that the emphasis of these courses depends on the university type, as the CCK-focus, while present in both types, is more pronounced in sport universities’ PETE programs. In conclusion, Russian PETE programs reflect international status in both the amount of CK taught and the heavy emphasis on CCK.