The value and future agenda of research on teaching physical education

Research on teaching physical education is important because teaching is central to the school institution. Consistent results have emerged from research on teaching. A moral imperative exists for continued efforts to refine what we know about effective instruction in the gym. In spite of the complex, nondeterministic, and normative nature of teaching, teachers are influenced by research on teaching as they strive to improve their craft. Research on teaching physical education must move in the direction of understanding the representations teachers employ in helping students who are having difficulty mastering subject matter. Studying teachers' methods for helping students learn while mediating students' social and emotional anxieties in a range of physical education contexts will reveal the kind of knowledge that will have practical importance. We will then be able to describe practice that is successful from the perspective of students and those who set standards for education's results.