Development and Validation of a Contextualised Physical Health Education Competency Assessment Tool for Nigerian Teachers

The absence of a validated, contextually appropriate competency assessment instrument for physical and health education teachers in Nigeria impedes systematic quality assurance, professional development planning, and teacher performance appraisal within the sector. This dissertation develops and validates an original physical health education teacher competency assessment tool contextualised to the Nigerian educational environment. The development process proceeds through a four-phase methodology: systematic review of existing teacher competency frameworks from 18 countries to identify domain categories; qualitative expert consultation through Delphi rounds with 30 Nigerian physical and health education scholars, master teachers, and curriculum specialists to adapt and contextualise domains; item generation and cognitive interviewing with 20 teachers to ensure item clarity and cultural appropriateness; and large-scale psychometric validation with 480 practising physical and health education teachers across all six geopolitical zones. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses establish the instrument's factor structure across seven competency domains including content knowledge, pedagogical skill, inclusive education, health education delivery, assessment practice, professional conduct, and physical activity promotion. Reliability coefficients, criterion validity evidence, and measurement invariance across gender, geopolitical zone, and school type subgroups are established. The resulting validated instrument provides a nationally applicable tool for pre-service teacher assessment, in-service professional development planning, and teaching service commission appraisal. Keywords: competency assessment, physical and health education teachers, instrument validation, Nigeria, psychometric