The importance of professional competence lies in the effective application of job-oriented knowledge and skills which guarantee one’s successful adaptation to the work. This study analyzes the perception of the importance of physical activity and sports (PAS) professionals’ competence in working with individuals with disabilities in Spain. As a descriptive quantitative study, face-to-face interviews were conducted through a survey to extract the data. The sample consisted of 214 PAS professionals working with people with disabilities. According to the results, the analyzed constituents of professional competence are important for adequate performance (>65%), with the exception of competences of leadership and use of new technologies (<50%). It was also found that the perceived importance of each element of professional competence varies according to age, experience and training. Based on the obtained results, the degree of importance of each constituent of professional competence and its implication for the access of people with disabilities to high-quality physical activity and sports services was determined.

The intent of this study was to determine the prevalence of formal lesson plan development as well as examine assessment practices (i.e. frequency of assessment; types of assessment tools most commonly utilized; aspects of physical education most commonly assessed) among physical education teachers in Spain. Furthermore, this study investigated relationships between physical educators’ (a) years of teaching experience and (b) teaching level (primary school vs. secondary school), with both their frequency of formal lesson planning and their assessment practices. The standardized and validated PROAFIDE questionnaire was completed by 499 physical educators presently teaching at either the primary or secondary school level. Results indicated that the vast majority of study participants utilize detailed written lesson plans and perform regular assessments. The percentage of use was found to rise among teachers with increased teaching experience, and among those who were teaching at secondary school. The most commonly used assessment instruments were found to be tests, specifically personally made tests and pre-existing batteries of tests (e.g. Eurofit Fitness Testing Battery). The least used assessment instrument was found to be homework. For all the various assessment tools, it was found that attitudinal aspects were assessed more commonly than physical, cognitive, technical, and tactical aspects. Future research needs to investigate the implications of regular planning and assessment, or lack thereof, on actual practice.