Jumpan jalanjäljiltä akateemiseen maisterintutkintoon : Jyväskylän yliopiston liikunnanopettajakoulutus vuosina 1963-2013

Abstract

Physical education teacher education (PETE) became an academic discipline in 1963 in Finland at the University of Jyväskylä, which remains the only site for physical education teacher education in the country. All qualified PE teachers in Finland are educated to master’s level. This thesis describes the content formation of PE teacher education in its 50 years’ history in Finland. The data consists of study guides of the University of Jyväskylä and Jyväskylä University College of Education from 1963 to 2013, public and private archive materials, legal records concerning education, and interviews conducted with key persons in the history and development of PETE in Finland. The data was analyzed using historical document analysis. In addition, the content of PETE through the years was classified to seven classes according to the names of the courses. According to the results, the content of PETE has changed significantly over the decades. The curriculum was rather practically oriented in its early years in the 1960s. At that time students usually graduated in three years, whereas now students of physical education study for approximately five years in a versatile, international university community. It appears that one of the main reasons for the changing content of PETE is curriculum reforms. Content of PETE has also been influenced by individual persons, international aspects and changes in society. Within the examined period, research studies and sport pedagogy studies have become more significant in the content of PETE. Evidently the amount of social studies and bio-medical studies has been decreased. At the moment PETE is facing an interesting challenge: education will be organized in one faculty without separate departments, just like when the education started in Jyväskylä. PE teachers have a significant role in developing positive attitude towards physical activity in childhood and adolescence. In the future, PETE is walking a tightrope with the demands from different directions. PE teacher education is expected to include diverse range of courses, give ability to solve future problems and produce teachers, who are able to continue working until the age of retirement.