Results by macrozone in the national diagnostic assessment: a territorial analysis of standards in physical education teacher education in Chile

The Physical Education teacher plays a strategic role within the Chilean educational system, with Initial Teacher Education being a fundamental stage in which professional standards guide their preparation. Within this framework, the National Diagnostic Assessment (NDA) provides nationwide evidence regarding the level of achievement of these standards at the end of the training process. The aim of this study was to analyze and compare the results of Physical Education teacher education students in the 2024 NDA according to the macrozone where their universities are located. A quantitative, cross-sectional, and comparative design was employed, based on official open-access data from the Chilean Ministry of Education ( n = 1,098). Descriptive analyses and non-parametric inferential tests (Mann–Whitney U) were conducted. The results reveal a differentiated territorial pattern: the Metropolitan Region and the North-Central Macrozone generally obtain higher averages, whereas the Southern and Northern Macrozones show relatively lower performance. However, effect sizes were predominantly small to moderate, suggesting relative convergence within a standardized national system.