This dissertation deals with a large-scale and long-term research, which focussed on the measurement of teaching process - interaction - in physical education. The main aim was to contribute to strengthening the knowledge base for developing physical education. The framework of the research strategy used in this research consisting of three phases, and the results obtained in meta-level and substantive level as assessment of reliability and validity of the developed measuring instruments, is presented in the first and second part of the dissertation. The final phase focussed on Flanders-based (Flanders 1965, 1970, Heinilä 1974, 1977b) preservice study unit program (80 h), more specifically on the predictive validation of the course of didactic observation and microteaching in the frame of the contextual setting, before and after the study degree program reform at the faculty (1978), by examining variation of predictability of students' study success. Based on theories and assumptions
of (i) the learning process that produces particular teaching behaviors (eg. non-directive teaching) and (ii) on the basis of the study of the relationships between factors related to context, presage, content, process and outcome, a model was constructed (and tested), which assumes that the students' study success can be predicted by its relationship with students' background characteristics assessed during the selection procedure: the sum score in stage 1 including eg. prior school success, stage 2 measures consisting of the theory test, practice skills test, entry teaching behavior (teaching episode), and teaching behavior (control data) measured two years later (PEIAC/LH-75 II, Heinilä 1977b) as well attitude measures. Using replicated designs and hierarchical regressions analyses with the male, female and total groups of four course groups (n = 205), it was possible to confirm assumptions about the learning process and about the relationships between the course, students' background factors and the outcomes of the course processes, as is shown eg. by the results of the case study (1988, n = 42) carried out after the study degree program reform. In the obtained prediction model (R2 = .35, F (4,37) = 4.86, p = .003), the intake tests accounted for a major part of the explained variance (57 %) of study success (final grade) due to the combined effects of the theory test scores (12 %), intake stage 1 sum scores (8 %) as well as their interaction effects with students' attitudes (7 %) and entry teaching behavior (7 %). Additionally, the assumption of the relationship between gender and study success (determined already in the selection stage) was supported, whereas the assumption of the predictive power of the practical skill tests did not receive support. However, the internal and external validity of the didactic observation and microteaching course program was supported by students' (n = 283) evaluation of the course.
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