The place of knowledge in the representation of professional competence held by PE teachers

The purpose of this study was to locate the place of knowledge in the representation of professional competence held by PE teachers. We interviewed 30 PE teachers about their understanding of competence, using a semi-structured open-ended interview. Interpretative content analysis procedures were applied. The analytical framework based on nuclear categories defined in the Cheetham and Chivers’ (1996, 1998) Model of Professional Competence: knowledge/cognitive competence; functional competence; personal/behavioural competence; values/ethical competence. Data showed that the ethical component was the most important. The subcategory specialized knowledge proved to be the most valued followed by tacit-practical knowledge and knowledge application.