Search

: A focus on equity, democracy and social justice in HPE is pertinent in an era where there are growing concerns about the impact of neoliberal globalisation and precariousness of society (Kirk 2020). Although there is advocacy for teaching approaches in HPE that address issues of social justice, there is limited empirical research of teachers enacting critical pedagogies in HPE classrooms. : To identify school HPE teaching practices that promote social justice through practical enactment across three different participating countries. : The investigation involved classroom observations of and post-lesson interviews with 13 purposively selected high school health and physical education teachers from three different countries. A total of 20 HPE lessons were observed. The participants included seven male and six female teachers ranging in age from 25 to 55 years with between 3- and 25-years teaching experience. The setting for data collection was compulsory co-educational practical HPE classes with 13-15-year-old students in four schools in New Zealand, four schools in Sweden and three schools in Norway. : This study employed Critical Incident Technique (CIT) methodology (Flanagan 1954), involving data collection through exploratory observations and stimulated-recall interviews (Lyle 2003). The classroom observations focused on identifying incidents that appeared to be addressing issues of social justice. The use of a multi-national observer team was a key principle of the study and was based on the proposition that local researchers familiar with context come with taken-for-granted assumptions about teachers' practices. Data were analysed through a six-phase thematic analysis approach (Braun and Clarke 2013). This involved three stages: individually, collectively by the researchers in each country, and finally through the whole multi-national research team. : The data analysis resulted in three primary themes; (1) relationships, (2) teaching for social cohesion, and (3) explicitly teaching about and acting on social inequities. This paper uses critical pedagogy as a lens to report on the third theme. In this paper, we present three subthemes; (1) Teaching as 'equity not equality', (2) promoting marginalised groups (3) and teacher critical reflection as examples of explicit critical pedagogies taking action for social justice in HPE. : Although, the findings presented in this paper are examples of explicit teacher actions that aim to address social inequity, we suggest that teaching for social justice requires teachers to take action on social inequities and also to teach about social injustice to prepare students to become agents for change and act on social inequities themselves, beyond HPE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: For many years, skill learning has been an important component of primary school physical education (PE) with most lessons focused on the teaching of fundamental movement skills (FMS) or sports techniques (Kirk 2010). Increasingly, the generalist primary school teachers who are responsible for delivering the PE curriculum are facing multiple constraints that impact the quality of their children's skill learning experiences. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the context on which this paper reports, primary school Health and Physical Education (HPE) is dominated by a focus on sports skills and fitness lessons (Dyson, Landi, and Gordon 2018a) taught through teacher directed approaches (Petrie 2008; 2016), and often delivered by external organisations. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the philosophy, content, and trialling of a new movement education resource, titled 'Movewell', which is being developed for Aotearoa New Zealand primary teachers. The resource focuses on learning through games and has been designed to support and educate teachers to think differently about the purposes and pedagogies of movement education. The underpinning philosophy of the resource is that through interactive play in inclusive game environments, children not only develop physical skill but also a positive sense of self, sense of belonging and sense of community. Framework: The Movewell resource is based on contemporary skill learning theory, which proposes that learning needs to be situated in well-structured games experiences that are appropriate to the learners' interests and capabilities. The resource promotes a more encompassing definition of skill and outcomes from movement education than is the norm in Aotearoa New Zealand primary school HPE at present. It promotes the view that playing games offers children opportunities to develop their 'imagination of possibilities' as games players as an integral part of skill learning. Importantly, a core design principle is that 'learning to be skilful is not about learning fundamental movement skills'. Conclusion: The process of designing the resource has demonstrated overwhelmingly that 'ease of use' is a primary consideration for teachers and that issues such as access to equipment, access to novel learning activities and their suitability for learners, play a significant role in the uptake and acceptance of the resource. 'Movewell' is an initiative that signals a shift from teaching fundamental movement skills to a focus on solving the situational problems inherent in games. It seeks to encourage teachers to reflect on the nature and potential of HPE and ultimately change their practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Physical education (PE) and physical education teacher education (PETE) have a substantial literature base that advocates for students to develop a critical consciousness, appreciate multiple perspectives, and engage in actions to enhance social justice [Tinning, R. 2016. "Transformative Pedagogies and Physical Education." In The Routledge Handbook of Physical Education Pedagogies, edited by C. Ennis, 281-294. New York: Routledge]. Analysing sociocultural issues, critically reflecting on beliefs, knowledge, biography, and values, and developing a sense of agency to enact change, have been recognised as an integral part of the PETE knowledge base for some time [Fernández-Balboa, J. M. 1997. "Physical Education Teacher Preparation in the Postmodern era: Toward a Critical Pedagogy." In Critical Postmodernism in Human Movement, Physical Education, and Sport, edited by J. M. Fernández-Balboa, 121-138. Albany: State University of New York Press]. However, there remain differences in how social justice itself is conceptualised and enacted. Social justice is aligned heavily with critical and 'post' theories where taking action for justice, democracy, and power is central; but social justice is also found in humanist beliefs in student-centredness and equality and has been co-opted by neoliberal forces that promote individual responsibility. While a lack of consensus is not in itself a problem [Bialystok, L. 2014. "Politics Without "Brainwashing": A Philosophical Defence of Social Justice Education." Curriculum Inquiry 44 (3): 413-440], diverse definitions might contribute to confusion and lead to uncertainty over what and how to teach for social justice. Purpose: In order to work towards greater certainty around concepts of social justice in the PETE community, this project sought to map variations in definition and conceptualisation of social justice and sociocultural issues among physical education teacher educators (PETEs) and physical education and sport pedagogy (PESP) educators, as part of a wider project on social justice and sociocultural perspectives and practices in PETE. Methods: PETE and PESP faculty (n = 72) in North America, Europe, and Australasia engaged in an in-depth interview, during which they were asked how they define social justice and sociocultural issues. Additional information about participants' social identity was collected. A constant comparative method of analysing participants' definitions mapped a range of concepts building on the theoretical framework of neoliberal, humanist, critical, and 'post' approaches to social justice. Findings: The data demonstrate that there are a range of understandings about sociocultural issues and social justice. Most commonly, some participants articulated a humanist approach to social justice by encouraging their pre-service teachers (PSTs) to have awareness of equality of opportunity in relation to gender, sexuality, and/or racism. Less prevalent, but strongly stated by those who conceptualised social justice in these terms, was the importance to take action for democracy, empowerment, or critical reflection. The terms diversity and equality, framed in neoliberal and humanist discourses, were most commonly used within the United States (US), while critical pedagogy and alignment with critical and 'post' theoriesweremore prevalent in Australia and NewZealand. Conclusion: Differences exist in the ways social justice is conceptualised in PETE. While this can be attributed to the influence of local issues, it is also reflective of what intellectual tools, such as humanism or critical theory, are available for problematising social issues. The range of non-critical concepts found raises concern that PSTs are not getting the tools to enact social justice or tackle sociocultural issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: For many years, scholars in Physical Education Teacher Educator (PETE) have argued for the importance of educating preservice teachers (PSTs) about equality (e.g. Evans, J. 1990. "Defining a Subject: The Rise and Rise of the New Physical Education?" British Journal of Sociology of Education 11: 155-169), sociocultural perspectives and issues (e.g. Cliff, K., J. Wright, and D. Clarke. 2009. "What Does a Sociocultural Perspective Mean in Health and Physical Education?" In Health and Physical Education: Issues for Curriculum in Australia and New Zealand, edited by M. Dinan-Thomson, 165-182. Melbourne: Oxford University Press; Flory, S. B., Tischler, A., and Sanders, S. 2014. Sociocultural issues in physical education: Case studies for teachers. New York: Rowman & Littlefield), and critical pedagogy (e.g. Fernandez-Balboa, J. M. 1997. "Physical Education Teacher Preparation in the Postmodern Era: Toward a Critical Pedagogy." In Critical Postmodernism in Human Movement, Physical Education, and Sport, edited by J. M. Fernandez-Balboa, 121-138. Albany: State University of New York Press; Philpot, R (2015) Critical pedagogies in PETE: An Antipodean perspective. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education 34(2): 316-332). Despite this advocacy, we would argue that there are significant differences in how faculty teach about sociocultural issues, and for, social justice. The pedagogical actions through which PETEs do this work is the focus of this paper. Purpose: We investigated the pedagogical approaches and strategies used by PETE faculty to address and educate PSTs about social justice and sociocultural issues related to gender, race, sexuality, (dis)ability, socioeconomic status and religion in their individual PETE programs. In this study, we draw on transformational pedagogy (Ukpokodu, O. 2009. "Pedagogies that Foster Transformative Learning in a Multicultural Education Course: A Reflection." Journal of Praxis in Multicultural Education 4 (1), Article 4; Ovens, A. 2017. "Transformative Aspirations and Realities in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE)." In The Routledge Handbook of Physical Education Pedagogies, edited by C. Ennis, 295-306. New York: Taylor and Francis) as a framework for theorizing the data. Through this study, we highlight the pedagogical practices espoused as those that engender transformative learning. Data collection and analysis: Data for this interpretive qualitative research study was collected primarily through in-depth semi-structured interviews with over 70 PETEs who work in 48 PETE programs across Australia, Canada, England, Ireland New Zealand, Sweden, and the United States. Furthermore, an informational survey was used to gather demographic data of the participants. The participants, all current PETEs, had a wide range of professional experiences, which included the length of time in the profession, the type of institution employed, educational backgrounds and courses taught. Data analysis was completed using the processes of content analysis and the constant comparative method (Corbin, J., and A. Strauss. 2008. Basics of Qualitative Research. London: Sage). Findings: Three major themes represent the findings. In the first theme, 'Intentional and Explicit Pedagogies,' we provide descriptions of the approaches and strategies used by PETEs in this study that were planned in advance of the learning experiences. In the second theme, 'Teachable Moments,' we provide examples of how PETEs utilized 'teachable moments' in implicit and explicit ways to educate PSTs about sociocultural issues. The third theme, 'Resistance and Constraints' captures the individual challenges PETE faculty faced within their courses if, and when, they teach for equity and social justice. The findings suggest that social justice struggles to find an explicit presence within many PETE programs and that educating PSTs about sociocultural issues and social justice is lacking in many PETE programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: For over four decades, there have been calls for physical education (PE) and physical education teacher education (PETE) to address social inequality and foster social justice. Yet, as numerous studies demonstrate, attempts to educate for social justice in PETE are infrequent and rarely comprehensive. This raises the question why it appears to be possible in some situations but not others, and for some students and not others. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the multiple sociopolitical networks or assemblages in which PETE is embedded and explore how these shape the possibilities for students to engage with the concept of social justice and sociocultural issues (SCI) when learning to teach PE. Two research questions guided this study: How does an orientation for social justice education (SJE) within education policy affect the standards for enacting PETE programs? How is SJE encouraged within PETE programs? Methodology: Drawing from a broader study of over 70 key personnel in more than 40 PETE programs, we examined how faculty in PETE understand their professional world, identify their subjective meanings of their experiences, and address SCI and SJE within PETE. Data sources included an initial survey, a semi-structured interview, and program artifacts. We analyze the ways that SJE/SCI was represented in three national settings (England, the United States, and New Zealand) and identified common themes. Results: Examination of each national setting reveals ways that SJE and SCI were enabled and constrained across the national, programmatic, and individual level in each of the countries. The coherence of explicit National policy and curricula, PETE program philosophies, and the presence of multiple individual interests in social justice served to reify a sociocultural agenda. Conversely, possibilities were nullified by narrow or general National Standards, programs that failed to acknowledge sociocultural interests, and the absence of a critical mass of actors with a socio-critical orientation. These differences in assemblage culminated in variations in curriculum time that served to restrict or enable the breadth, frequency, and consistency of the messages surrounding SCI in PETE. Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of acknowledging socio-political networks where PETE operates. The agency of PETEs to enact pedagogies that foreground sociocultural interests is contingent on congruity of the networks. The authors caution that although the 'perfect storm' of conditions has a profound influence of the possibility of transformational learning of SCI in PETE, this arrangement is always temporary, fluid, and subject to changes in any of the three network levels. Additionally, the success of PETE in enabling graduating PE teachers to recognize the inequities that may be reinforced through the 'hidden curriculum' and to problematize the subject area is contingent on the expectations of the schools in which they teach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]