Exploring the needs of graduates of the bachelor’s program in teacher and physical education

Abstract

The significance of this study lies in its contribution to curriculum enhancement through the inclusion of graduates’ perspectives and needs. By reflecting their feedback, the study supports the development of professional competencies and career success among graduates, thereby promoting the overall quality of education and informing future policy directions. The primary aim of this research is to identify the needs and expectations of graduates from the “Teacher and Physical Education” bachelor program and to propose recommendations for curriculum improvement based on the findings. The study was conducted by aligning the curriculum with the indicators set by the Mongolian Higher Education Accreditation Council (MIUZ), the satisfaction survey indicators approved by the Rector’s Order No. A/321 of the Mongolian National University of Education (MNUE) dated November 22, 2023, and the international teacher education standards developed by SHAPE America and EUPEA for physical education programs. A four-phase research design was employed to examine the graduates’ needs and expectations. In the first phase, a total of 84 graduates from the academic years 2020–2024 participated, of whom 56% were male and 44% were female. The internal consistency reliability of 79 variables across nine questionnaire items was tested using Cronbach’s alpha, yielding a value of 0.971, indicating excellent reliability. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 26. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were integrated through a mixed-methods research design. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, correlation, internal consistency, factor analysis, and cluster analysis were applied to examine the collected data. The findings indicate that the “Teacher and Physical Education” bachelor program effectively equips graduates with competencies required by the labor market. Furthermore, graduates’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes demonstrated strong correlations with academic knowledge formation (r = .667) and curriculum alignment (r = .544). These results confirm that the bachelor program in physical education education has a comprehensive and positive impact on graduates’ knowledge, skills, and professional development, establishing a statistically significant relationship between educational quality and student growth.