The Influence of Sport Skills Mastery, Movement Competence, Teaching Self-Efficacy, and Continuous Professional Development on the Pedagogical Competence of Physical Education Teachers

Abstract

Pedagogical competence is a fundamental component of teacher professionalism that determines the quality of teaching and student learning outcomes in Physical Education. Effective instruction requires teachers to integrate sport-specific knowledge, movement expertise, instructional confidence, and continuous professional learning to address diverse student needs and increasingly complex educational demands. However, empirical evidence regarding the combined contribution of these factors to pedagogical competence remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of Sport Skills Mastery, Movement Competence, Teaching Self-Efficacy, and Continuous Professional Development on the Pedagogical Competence of Physical Education teachers. This study employed a quantitative explanatory design using a cross-sectional survey. The participants consisted of 46 Physical Education teachers from 12 public and 34 private senior high schools selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using validated five-point Likert-scale questionnaires measuring the five research constructs. Instrument validity was evaluated through expert judgment, while reliability was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, classical assumption tests, and multiple linear regression to determine both the simultaneous and partial effects of the independent variables on pedagogical competence. The findings revealed that the regression model explained 75.2% of the variance in pedagogical competence (Adjusted R² = 0.728), indicating strong explanatory power. Simultaneously, Sport Skills Mastery, Movement Competence, Teaching Self-Efficacy, and Continuous Professional Development significantly influenced pedagogical competence. Partially, Sport Skills Mastery, Movement Competence, and Teaching Self-Efficacy had significant positive effects, with Teaching Self-Efficacy emerging as the strongest predictor. Although Continuous Professional Development demonstrated a positive relationship with pedagogical competence, its contribution was not statistically significant. The findings demonstrate that pedagogical competence in Physical Education is primarily strengthened through the integration of technical sport expertise, movement competence, and teachers' confidence in their instructional capabilities. The non-significant effect of Continuous Professional Development suggests that participation in professional learning activities alone is insufficient unless such programs are sustained, practice-oriented, and effectively translated into classroom practice. These findings provide empirical evidence for teacher education institutions and policymakers to prioritize competency-based training models that simultaneously strengthen technical, pedagogical, and psychological dimensions of teacher professionalism.