Curriculum studies in health and physical education
- England, UK : Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2021
- 197-306 pages
- Curriculum Studies in Health and Physical Education, Volume 12, Issue 3 (2021) .
Editorial note -- Curriculum decisions made by secondary physical education teachers and comparison with students' preferences -- Bringing socially-critical pedagogies to life through stories -- Teaching on body ideals in physical education: a lesson study in Swedish upper secondary school -- An autoethnography of becoming critical in Physical Education Teacher Education -- Through students' eyes: preferred instructional strategies for a motivating learning climate in secondary school physical education -- The relation between teaching physical education and discourses on body weight - an integrative review of research -- It's Not About the Burqa, edited by Mariam Khan Picador, Croydon, 2019.
[Article Title: Curriculum decisions made by secondary physical education teachers and comparison with students' preferences / Dominique Banville, Risto Marttinen, Pamela Hodges Kulinna and Matthew Ferry p. 199-216] Abstract: The purpose of the study was to gain an understanding of what impacts physical education teachers in their curriculum decision-making and how the activities chosen relate to what their students are interested in. Teachers (N = 76) and students (N = 258) from 12 purposely selected secondary schools located in a large school district in the United States participated by completing a questionnaire. Teachers indicated that curriculum decisions are made at the department level and that their teaching conditions are different from their colleagues in other subject areas. Activities favoured were primarily team sports, with some fitness activities and individual sports incorporated in the yearly plan. Students reported most engagement with jogging/running, walking, basketball, and cycling during their time away from school. The dominance of a team-sports driven curriculum persists against a wealth of evidence it may be misguided. If we want to change attitudes toward physical activity and physical education we must address the reliance on this type of curriculum in the United States.;[Article Title: Bringing socially-critical pedagogies to life through stories / Aaron Scorringe, Rod Philpot, and Toni Bruce p. 217 - 231] Abstract: New Zealand and Australia introduced health and physical education curricula espousing a socially-critical perspective more than two decades ago. Yet, despite growth in advocacy and teaching resources, there is little research exploring how HPE teachers are enacting these pedagogies. This article addresses the challenge of understanding what six HPE teachers 'do' in the name of being socially critical through two ethnographic fiction stories that bring their experiences to life. The results show that HPE teachers use socially-critical pedagogies in three main ways that resonate with Paulo Freire's pedagogical concepts. First, they enter into dialogue with students to develop critical consciousness. Second, through problem-posing techniques, they challenge students to question their own attitudes, values and assumptions. Third, they understand the importance of using socially-critical pedagogies to raise consciousness and to lead students into taking action to bring about more equitable outcomes in relation to social justice.;[Article Title: Teaching on body ideals in physical education: a lesson study in Swedish upper secondary school / Astrid Schubring, Heléne Bergentoft and Dean Barker, p. 232-250] Abstract: 'Characteristics and consequences of different body ideals' are a mandatory curriculum content in Swedish physical education (PE). Didactic strategies for teaching on body ideals are, however, scarce. In this paper, we introduce a classroom-based teaching unit on body ideals and present didactic possibilities and challenges of the unit. We used a lesson study approach, drawing on Nutbeam's concept of health literacy. Our methodology involved focus group interviews with students and teachers, lesson observations and minutes of meetings which we analysed thematically. We found teaching on body ideals to be highly meaningful to students but their engagement differed based on personal backgrounds, school context and didactic design. The gendered nature of body ideals and a lack of embodied didactics constituted challenges, while the use of storied cases emerged as a potent didactic strategy. We conclude with practical recommendations for teaching on body ideals in PE.;[Article Title: An autoethnography of becoming critical in Physical Education Teacher Education / Aspasia Dania, p. 251 - 267] Abstract: At the onset of emergency remote teaching in higher education, as a rapid response to the virus pandemic, I organised an online course that focused on Game Based Approaches. The course was part of the professional development initiatives I have been designing for Physical Education teachers over the past ten years, as a teacher educator working in a modern university context. I envisioned myself empowering PE teachers to take activist roles in their practice and I worked towards increasing their receptiveness to humanistic teaching. The aim of this paper is to use the above course as an inciting moment for reflecting on the personal and cultural tensions inherent in the employment of critical pedagogy principles by novice academics. To achieve the above, I employ autoethnographic writing to describe the dimensions that may shape teacher educators' efforts to re-read both their pedagogical and their emotional knowledge.;[Article Title: Through students' eyes: preferred instructional strategies for a motivating learning climate in secondary school physical education / Gwen Weeldenburg, Lars B. Borghouts, Menno Slingerland and Steven Vos p. 268 - 286] Abstract: Framed within achievement goal theory and self-determination theory, the aim of this study was to explore the experiences and motivational needs of students within secondary school Physical Education, attempting to identify their preferred motivational instructional strategies. Nine focus group interviews were conducted comprising 61 students (32 girls and 29 boys; M age = 15.17; SD = 0.48) across 3 different schools. The semi-structured interview guide was based on the TARGET (Task, Authority, Recognition, Grouping, Evaluation, Time) framework. Interviews were analysed using the Framework Method. Results revealed that student-preferred instructional strategies were in line with the tenets of the self-determination theory and achievement goal theory. Students stressed the importance of variation, challenge, achievable tasks, involvement, structure, positive and individual feedback, careful grouping, progress evaluation, transparency of standards and reliable assessment. Structuring these strategies according to the TARGET dimensions provided an overview to support PE teachers in realising an optimal motivational class climate.;[Article Title: The relation between teaching physical education and discourses on body weight - an integrative review of research / Mikael Quennerstedt, Dean Barker, Anna Johansson and Peter Korp. Abstract: The purpose of this integrative review of research is to contribute to knowledge about the relation between teaching physical education (PE) and discourses of body weight. The review consists of summarising and synthesising features focusing on how discourses on the relation between teaching PE and body weight in scientific literature in different ways shape the idea of the role of PE. The results of the review reveal that the purposes, content, and forms for teaching PE constitute three discourses of teaching PE in relation to body weight: (i) a risk discourse, (ii) a critical obesity discourse, and (iii) a pluralistic discourse. From these discourses, five different roles of PE are identified; (i) Solving obesity and inactivity, (ii) Including overweight pupils, (iii) Rejecting an obesity epidemic, (iv) Supporting and understanding overweight pupils, and (v) Transforming PE in relation to a plurality of perspectives on body weight. As a consequence, we urge practitioners to take a reflective distance towards the purpose, content, and the pedagogies they are employing in relation to discourses on body weight in order to make informed decisions regarding PE curricula.