Beyond words: developing a scale to measure the embodied professional literacy of K-12 physical education teachers

In physical education (PE), the teacher's body serves as the primary instrument of instruction. However, existing evaluations often fail to capture this context-specific "embodied" nature, typically reducing professional competency to either abstract cognitive beliefs or generic physical fitness.

To address this epistemological gap, this study conceptualizes and psychometrically validates the Physical Education Teachers' Embodied Professional Literacy Scale (PE-TEPLS), innovatively operationalizing the "pedagogical body" in the K-12 context.

A rigorous mixed-method design was employed, combining Delphi consultation (N = 20), the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and a cross-sectional survey of 1,665 PE teachers in China. Data underwent Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (EFA/CFA). CFA corroborated this correlated model, and Multi-Group CFA confirmed scalar invariance across gender. Reliability and discriminant validity were robustly established.

Psychometric analyses confirmed a robust 45-item structure across five dimensions: embodied moral cultivation, motor ability basis, situational interaction, teaching transformation, and lifelong development. CFA corroborated this correlated model, and Multi-Group CFA confirmed scalar invariance across gender. Reliability and discriminant validity were robustly established.

The PE-TEPLS provides a psychometrically robust and equitable instrument for assessing PE teachers. By theoretically legitimizing "embodied action" and prioritizing the "pedagogical body" over the "athletic body," this study offers a new paradigm for evaluating teacher professionalism beyond verbal and cognitive metrics.