Examination of Physical Education and Sports Teacher Training Curriculums in German Universities

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to examine the structure and curriculum of physical education and sports teaching programs in Germany’s teacher training programs. The universities determined in this direction are the Julius–Maximilians University of Würzburg in the state of Bayern, the Johann Goethe University of Frankfurt in the state of Hessen, the University of Heidelberg in the state of Baden Württemberg, and the Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln in the state of NordrheinWesfalen. The model of this research is qualitative research and the design of the research is case study. Data were collected by document analysis. Content analysis was used to analyze the data in the study. According to the findings, teacher training programs are structured by universities according to double majors and school types, and the module weight of the curriculum varies according to school types and selected departments. In the sports department, it has been observed that emphasis is given to the “movement, games and school sports” module in the field courses. It has been observed that the curriculum is both theory and practice oriented, but special importance is given to the field of application regardless of the type of school. In order to enter the civil service, state exams must be passed successfully. Preparation period after the first state exam it is longer than other universities at Bayern Julius–Maximilians University Würzburg (24 months). According to the findings, the difficulty level of Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln’s sports talent exam and the content and preparation period of Bayern Julius–Maximilians University Würzburg’s teacher training programs are high. These research findings may contribute to the development of teacher training programs of physical education and sports teaching departments in Turkey.