An Analysis of Physical Education and Health Education Teacher Education Programs in the United States

in Journal of Teaching in Physical Education

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Phillip Ward The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7447-3594 *
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Won Seok Chey The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

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https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3437-5276
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Insook Kim Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0561-2394
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Emi Tsuda West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2488-9313
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Bomna Ko East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9383-9344
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Dena Deglau The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

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Kyuil Cho West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA

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https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4885-4470
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/jtpe.2022-0279
Keywords:
teacher education curricula; preservice teachers; teacher educators; program demographics
First Published Online:
02 Jun 2023
In Print:
Ahead of Print
Page Range:
1–9
Restricted access

Purpose: There is little known about the state of teacher education programs in this field. The aim of this article is to provide a descriptive analysis of physical education and health education teacher education programs in the United States. Method: Using published curriculums, a census of active undergraduate teacher education programs and a more in-depth analysis of one program from each state based on interviews with program coordinators was conducted. Findings: Data are reported across nine categories: (a) institution and program classifications, (b) degree designations, (c) degree and major’s hours, (d) enrollment, (e) program status and trends, (f) admission and graduation requirements, (g) curricular time, (h) faculty demographics, and (i) health education. Conclusions: The data show that there is a broad interpretation of what counts as physical and health teacher education in terms of curriculum, and there are significant and pressing challenges for the field to address moving forward.

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