Evidence of Content Validity for Essential Teaching Practices in Physical Education

Abstract

The quality of instruction in physical education depends, in part, on the identification and systematization of essential pedagogical practices that guide teachers’ professional performance. The objectives of this study were to obtain evidence of content validity for a matrix of essential pedagogical practices for initial teacher education in physical education and to analyze the degree of consensus among experts regarding their clarity and practical and theoretical relevance. A quantitative, instrumental, descriptive, and cross-sectional study was conducted. Ten experts in education and subject-specific pedagogy participated, evaluating 20 pedagogical practices. Content validity was estimated using Aiken’s V coefficient and its confidence intervals, supplemented by analyses of internal consistency and inter-rater agreement. The results showed that most practices achieved high or very high scores, particularly in planning, assessment, monitoring, and feedback. In contrast, practices related to families, context, and reflection on teaching practice received less consensus. It is concluded that the matrix provides favorable evidence of content validity and serves as a useful framework for guiding initial teacher education, pedagogical supervision, and future research aimed at its application with practicing teachers.