Validation of a Goalball Common Content Knowledge Test for Preservice Physical Education Teachers

Disability sports have gained increasing attention in physical education due to their educational value, with Goalball recognized as a unique Paralympic sport designed for individuals with visual impairments. Despite its potential, many preservice teachers (PSTs) are not adequately prepared to teach goalball, often due to limited common content knowledge (CCK), including rules, safety procedures, etiquette, techniques, and tactics. Although CCK is essential for effective instruction, no validated assessment currently exists to measure PSTs’ goalball knowledge. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a Goalball Common Content Knowledge assessment (CCK-Goalball) for use in physical education teacher education (PETE) programs. A total of 93 PSTs from two PETE programs participated in the study. The instrument was developed through a systematic five-step process, including expert content specification, item development, expert review for content validity, pilot testing, and formal administration. The final assessment consisted of 40 items addressing rules and safety, techniques, and tactics of goalball. Rasch analysis was conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the instrument. The results supported a unidimensional structure, with most items demonstrating acceptable model fit. The assessment reflected a range of item difficulty and was able to distinguish varying levels of PST goalball knowledge. Although a small number of items showed minor misfit, they were retained based on their conceptual relevance. Overall, the CCK-Goalball provides a valid and reliable tool for assessing PSTs’ goalball knowledge and offers practical value for evaluating instruction within PETE programs.