Feeling the lesson: Affect, attunement and trauma-informed physical education

The National Association of Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) have created three documents (elementary, middle school and high school) to guide physical educators in appropriate instructional practices (AIP) in physical education. The purpose of these documents is to aid physical educators in exposing their students to lessons and activities that will enable them to be successful in physical education classes and physical activity. Unfortunately, many students have been exposed to such activities as dodge ball, having captains picking teams in front of the whole class, and many others. This paper is a review of research dealing with appropriate instructional practices in physical education with a multitude of different populations. From these different populations, eight instructional practices have been repeatedly misidentified. These eight repeat offenders will be discussed.

Background Gendered grouping practices and curriculum provision are matters of long-standing contention and debate in physical education (PE) policy, research, and practice internationally. In England, there is a long tradition of single-sex grouping in PE in secondary schools, with accompanying gendered patterns of staffing and many boys and girls taught different activities in the curriculum. Research on the incidence of single- and mixed-sex grouping in PE is however scarce, dated, and limited in scale. At a time when education, sport, and society are challenged to move beyond binary discourses and critically review structures and practices that uphold stereotypical and established gendered power relations, this study sought to provide an evidence base and stimulus for researchers, policy-makers, and PE professionals to (re-) engage with grouping practices in PE. Specifically, the study was designed to provide a national picture of current single- and mixed-sex grouping arrangements in PE in secondary schools in England. Method Data were collected by a web-based survey of all 2873 mainstream state-funded co-educational secondary schools in England. The survey was addressed to Subject Leaders of PE and was open between September and October 2021. A total of 818 surveys were completed giving an overall response rate of 28.5%. Results The responses indicated that single-sex grouping is the most common arrangement in core (compulsory, non-examination) PE in Key Stage 3 (Years 7–9) and Key Stage 4 (Years 10–11), whilst mixed-sex grouping is dominant in General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and/or Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) PE in Key Stage 4. It was noticeable, however, that very few schools were using the same arrangement for all PE lessons in Key Stages 3 and 4, and some were using single-sex grouping within mixed-sex PE lessons, particularly in physical contact activities such as rugby and football. The responses highlighted that single- and mixed-sex grouping decisions in PE are complex and contingent on several interrelated factors, including curriculum content and structures, school timetabling, staffing arrangements and preferences, the nature of the student cohort, and specific considerations relating to safety in some sport contexts. Data indicated that in many instances grouping arrangements in secondary school PE in England serve to reproduce and legitimate restrictive binary gender discourses. There was some but limited evidence of grouping approaches positively supporting gender diversity within PE, with a small number of schools organising PE in mixed-sex classes to be more inclusive of transgender and non-binary students. Discussion and conclusion This study highlights the role that grouping approaches play in either impeding or advancing work to strengthen gender equity and inclusion in PE and identifies teachers’ knowledge, skills, and understandings relating to grouping approaches and gender diversity as an important focus for initial teacher education and professional learning. The paper also calls for engagement from research and professional communities internationally to inform future policies and practices regarding the use of grouping approaches in PE.

Physical Education, Exercise, Fitness and Sports: Early PM&R Leaders Build a Strong Foundation

This research sought to generate large-scale yet sophisticated data relating to ability grouping practices in physical education (PE) in secondary schools in England, with the intent of extending knowledge of the various ability grouping practices being adopted within and across schools. The prevalence of particular ability grouping practices, processes associated with their application, and factors influencing their use and non-use were explored. Data were collected via a web-based survey of all (3197 at the time of study) mainstream state-funded secondary schools in England. A total of 903 responses were received, giving a response rate of 28.2%. The findings reveal that overall, mixed-ability grouping is the most common ability grouping practice in PE, although the extent and nature of this practice (and other ability grouping practices) varied by year group, Key Stage, gender of students, and/or curriculum activities. Setting was the predominant approach in PE in Year 8 (aged 12–13) and Year 9 (aged 13–14). The use of variants on these practices (including mixed-ability grouping with a separate top and/or bottom set) and descriptions of how and why different grouping practices are enacted in specific contexts, illustrate the significance of discourses of ability, gender, and pragmatism in grouping practices in PE.

Background:In recent years, yoga programs in childhood have been implemented in schools, to promote the development for children.Aim:To investigate the effects of yoga program in physical education classes on the motor abilities and social behavior parameters of 6–8-year-old children.Methods:The study included 16 children from the 1st grade of a public elementary school in the South of Brazil. The children participated in a 12-week intervention, twice weekly, with 45 min each session. To assess children's performance, we used the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency - Second Edition, the flexibility test (sit and reach – Eurofit, 1988), the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children and semi-structured interviews with children, parents, and classroom’ teacher. Data were analyzed with Wilcoxon test and level of significance was 5%.Results:The yoga program was well accepted by children, children also demonstrated significant and positive changes in overall motor abilities scores (balance, strength, and flexibility). In addition, the interviews reported changing in social behavior and the use of the knowledge learned in the program in contexts outside of school.Conclusion:These findings suggest that the implementation of yoga practice in physical education lessons contributed to children's development.

Reporting ongoing and developing research this paper examines what might loosely be called the ‘philosophies’ of physical education (PE) teachers from a sociological perspective. The paper is concerned, in part, with the relationship between, on the one hand, philosophies which have been articulated by academic philosophers seeking to define what they consider to be the ‘essential’ characteristics or nature of PE and, on the other hand, ideas about PE which are held by teachers who have the practical task of teaching PE within schools. Making use of autobiographical references the paper outlines two influential philosophical conceptions of PE before offering a brief outline of a figurational perspective on the sociology of knowledge. By exploring the social relationships in which PE teachers are involved the paper takes tentative steps towards a more adequate understanding of PE teachers' ‘philosophies’. The paper offers preliminary thoughts on what, it might be hypothesised, are likely to be some of the more salient influences on the development of teachers' ‘philosophies’ of PE, by relating the network of social relationships of which PE teachers are a part to their views on the nature and purposes of PE. In doing so, the paper concentrates on three areas: (i) teachers' biographies, including their own experiences of sport and PE as school pupils and as teachers‐in‐training, and the impact of these experiences on their sporting and teaching identities; (ii) the practical constraints of teaching PE within schools; and (iii) the professional marginality of PE and the ideologies associated with attempts at professionalisation. It is argued that if we wish to understand teacliers' ‘philosophies’ of PE, then we must study them not as abstract philosophical systems of ideas, but rather as practical, everyday ‘philosophies’ which provide practical guides to action as well as a justification for those actions.

Background and purpose: In school physical education (PE) lessons, gender is often produced heteronormatively. Lesbian, gay, bi, transgender, intersexual, and queer (LGBTIQ+) students have reported experiences of discrimination and obstacles to participation. This study analyzed Finnish PE teachers and LGBTIQ+ students’ talk about discrimination and problematic practices in PE and how equality in PE might be improved. Theoretical background: We draw on the concepts of heteronormativity and habitus. Habitus provides insight on how gendered norms and inequalities become embodied and contested in different social fields. In the PE context, we define social on the one hand as the heteronormative ‘feel for the game’ and on the other as the queering of practices. We then demonstrate both the habitual elements of gender and sexuality and how expectations and categorizations are socially attached to bodies. Methods: Thematic interviews were conducted with ten heterosexual and cisgender PE teachers and with ten LGBTIQ+ students aged 13–17. First, thematic analysis was conducted to identify each group’s perceptions on discrimination in PE lessons, on PE practices in relation to LGBTQI+ students, and on ways of promoting equality in PE. Second, applying the concepts of heteronormativity and habitus, we studied the identified themes to ascertain whether discrimination, practices, and equality were reproduced or challenged in the PE teachers’ and LGBTQI+ students’ perceptions. Findings: The PE teachers’ perceptions, informed by the ethos of individuality, reduced LGBTQI+ students to ‘minorities’ whose practices diverged from the heteronorm. Hence, the non-heterosexuality and gender diversity of LGBTQI+ were constructed predominantly as ‘tolerated’ and even invisible in PE lessons. However, some teachers reported paying attention to diversity in gender and sexuality in their thinking, speaking, and practices, thereby challenging heteronormativity. While the teachers aimed to protect LGBTQI+ students from discrimination, the majority also defended existing practices. Queering the status quo was considered challenging. In turn, the LGBTQI+ students focused more on lived power relations and structural discrimination and challenged existing practices by queering the status quo. For them, the best ways to promote equality in PE would be teacher familiarity with diversity in gender and sexuality, reduced gender stereotyping and the use of more inclusive language. The students also supported coeducational PE groups and unisex locker rooms or changing facilities for LGBTQI+ students. Conclusions: PE teachers’ tendency to defend heteronormative practices creates a paradox of ‘tolerance’ which works to marginalize non-heterosexuality. The interviews with both groups indicate challenges in implementing the objectives of gender-awareness in school PE in Finland.

ABSTRACTInclusion remains a key political agenda for education internationally and is a matter that teachers across subject communities and phases of education are challenged to respond to. In physical education specifically, research continues to highlight that current practice often reaffirms rather than challenges established inequities. This paper critically explores the understandings of inclusion that contribute to this situation and addresses the challenge of advancing inclusion in physical education from conceptual and pedagogical viewpoints. DeLuca’s [(2013). “Toward an Interdisciplinary Framework for Educational Inclusivity.” Canadian Journal of Education 36 (1): 305–348] conceptualisation of normative, integrative, dialogical and transgressive approaches to inclusion is employed as a basis for critical analysis of current practice and for thinking afresh about inclusive practice in physical education in relation to curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. Analysis informs the presentation of a set of principles that are designed to assist teachers and teacher educators to transform inclusive practice in physical education and in doing so, realise visions for physical education that are articulated in international policy guidelines and contemporary curriculum developments.

Background: Throughout society, including in the field of sports and physical education (PE), there are extensive debates on racism and structural racism. Researchers have found that students of color experience racial stereotyping and discrimination in PE. Studies also show that PE teaching practices reflect a masculine culture, emphasizing traditional (Western) competitive male sports and physical fitness practices, while marginalizing female students of color. Simultaneously these students also negotiate, resist, and operate as visible agents within these practices. While previous research has tended toward focusing on the experiences (of discrimination) from the perspective of students of color, numerous scholars today argue for a shift in research focus from the inadequacies of the racialized “others” toward how (white) everyday pedagogical practices privilege some people, and conversely, marginalize and discriminate against students of color. We believe, however, that it is crucial to examine and direct attention toward the students who “encounter” discriminatory practices in PE.The Purpose of the Paper is Twofold: (i) To investigate what kind of movements, knowledge/skills and bodies are valued and privileged, or ignored/discriminated in teaching practices in PE. (ii) To depict the “encounter” between the teaching content in physical education lessons and the female students of color's movements and expressions.Research Design and Production of Empirical Material: Our sample consisted of institutionalized pedagogical practices enacted by four white PE teachers in an upper secondary school located in eastern Oslo, Norway. The empirical material consisted of observations and informal conversations extracted from 42 teaching lessons. Students from a great diversity of backgrounds participated in the lessons during our study. We chose a critical whiteness perspective and critical feminist theory as analytical lenses for the analyses.Findings: Strenuous exercise as a means of becoming physically fit and “healthy” was central during the PE lessons under observation. The teacher's instructions draw on healthism discourses influenced by knowledge from exercise physiology and biomechanics, which produce a normative ideal for the body and movements in PE teaching practice. The movements and expressions of female students of color did not meet the expected norm of intensity, activity and exercises from the health and sport discourses. However, we identified female students of color as competent movers when performing “their own” movements, with which they had more of a cultural connection. These students also expressed vitality, joy and social interaction. Thus, they created new movements and expressions that contrasted with the norm of working out with a high intensity level in PE lessons.Conclusion: Hegemonic “truths” about the body, physical exercise and health make teachers “blind” to the ways that institutionalized pedagogical practices in PE privilege majority ethnic white (male) students. Refusing to adhere to the institutionalized movement/exercise practices enacted by the teachers, the female students of color are competent dancers and express liveliness, spontaneity, and joy. In the future, incorporating these types of expressions to teaching practices can add value to PE.

As part of a longitudinal research project on the transition from physical education teacher education (PETE) to school physical education (PE) in Sweden and exploring whether and how PETE matters, this article uses narrative inquiry to ‘represent’ a PE teacher’s professional journey from PETE to the induction phase of PE teaching. The study focuses on his use of, and reflections on, ‘assessment for learning’ (AfL) at different stages of his teaching experience. The purpose of the study is to contribute knowledge about how positive experiences of AfL during PETE can enable the use of AfL in school PE for a newly qualified teacher. This is done by analysing one male PETE student’s reflections on AfL in the context of a campus-based course on PE assessment, his use of and reflections on AfL during his practicum, and in school PE as a newly qualified teacher. The data generation consisted of recordings of a PETE seminar, a stimulated recall interview with the participant during his final school placement, and two interviews with him in his role as a newly qualified PE teacher at two different schools. Through the PE teacher’s tale, we show how the campus-based course on PE assessment in PETE and the student teacher’s positive experience of using AfL during his practicum seem to have inspired him in his later positions. The results are discussed in relation to the perspective of occupational socialisation theory. This narrative inquiry suggests that PETE can make a difference for student teachers who are prepared to face the challenges of the induction phase of PE teaching and are able to navigate between the barriers that get in their way. We conclude the paper with some considerations regarding the study’s potential strength (trustworthiness), sharing (transferability) and service (usefulness).

Background: In exploring the complexity of teaching, scholars have suggested that greater attention needs to be paid to the teachers' thoughts and actions and to how these affect quality teaching. Up to today, very few studies have investigated the relationship between teachers' beliefs and practices even though it has an important role to play in teaching. Whilst general research on primary teachers in physical education has been conducted, no research has yet specifically described trainee primary teachers' beliefs and practices about physical education. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe two trainee primary teachers' beliefs and practices in physical education during their student teaching. Participants and setting: Two trainee primary teachers, Marita and Anna, who attended a university in Cyprus, voluntarily participated in the study. Marita and Anna were in the fourth year of their programme during their student teaching course and they had already taken a compulsory methodology course on teaching elementary physical education and the course on early field experiences. Data collection: Data were collected through interviews (formal and informal), field observations, journals and document analyses (unit and lesson plans). Data analysis: Data from all sources were analysed inductively via individual-case and cross-case analysis. Data sources were analysed individually for each participant and then compared across data sources. Through multiple and careful examination of the data, the key links, properties, themes, and patterns in the data were identified in order to locate common categories. Based on this process, the data were organised and sorted into three major thematic clusters: subject matter, social sensitivity, and pedagogy. Within the thematic clusters there were several categories. Trustworthiness: To ensure the soundness of the data collection and analysis, four strategies were employed. First, triangulation was used to ensure that the findings were accurate. Second, data were scrutinised for negative cases that would dispute or undermine the interpretations. Third, two peer-debriefers were used to share developing interpretations and to challenge the researcher to support interpretations with data. Finally, member checks were conducted. Findings: The two trainee teachers believed that the major purpose of physical education is to provide students with opportunities to develop their psychomotor, cognitive and affective skills. Evidence from this study indicated that the participants not only articulated these views but also practised them in teaching. Both participants believed that physical education has the same status as the other subject areas in the school curriculum. The most important message the two trainee teachers wanted to convey to their students was that physical education is more than free play and similar to other subject areas in the curriculum. The two trainee teachers treated students of both genders equally and expected all students to participate in the learning activities. The way the participants in this study organised and delivered instruction and provided practice for students was a combination of teacher-mediated and student-mediated formats. Conclusions: Two major conclusions are drawn from the study. The first is that trainee teachers' beliefs play a significant role in designing and implementing meaningful teaching tasks that may affect student learning. This study suggests that teaching experiences can provide trainee teachers with powerful personal understanding of teaching practices. It is also clear that learning to teach physical education is a process which develops over time and it is affected by the trainee teachers' beliefs. A second conclusion from the study is that teacher education programmes can train trainee primary teachers to implement quality lessons in physical education. It seems that the methods course and teaching experiences forced the two trainee teachers to develop firm beliefs about good teaching practices. Reflective inquiry courses that provide trainees with a theoretical knowledge base about effective teaching in physical education and use reflective strategies that attempt to surface, challenge, and transform trainees' beliefs seem to be promising.

Scholars have identified a need for more learner-centred pedagogical practices as one way to facilitate more inclusive learning in physical education (PE). In this regard teacher education plays an important part through the preparation of future teachers. Yet, disrupting pre-service teachers’ prior values or beliefs to transform PE, has proven difficult. Grounded in critical pedagogical perspectives and discursive psychology, the current study enquired into the following question: What discourses of resistance can be identified in PE pre-service teachers’ written reflections on the challenges of inclusion and the need for changed pedagogical practices in PE? The sample in this qualitative research comprised 11 PE pre-service teachers enrolled in a general teacher education programme, and the analytical approach involved textual analysis of reflection notes written by the pre-service teachers. The findings highlighted two discourses of inclusion (‘More gender inclusive PE is needed’, and ‘PE practices must embrace diversity’) and two discourses of resistance (‘Resistance to PE transformation’, and ‘Resistance to gender diversity in PE’). Drawing on discourses such as the assertion that education is better suited for girls, the students expressed resistance towards accommodating girls’ need in PE, with the use of interpretive repertoires such as ‘gender differences are natural and inevitable’ or ‘boys need PE because girls do better in other subjects’. Secondly, referring to discursive understandings of a general openness towards gender diversity in society, they exhibited resistance against breaking the gender binary in PE in fear of confusing vulnerable youth. Thus, although the pre-service teachers challenged how gender is reproduced through PE practice, their perspectives remained within a cis-normative frame of reference. We argue that with increased understanding of how pre-service teachers rehearse and reproduce interpretative repertoires in their written assignments, teacher educators are better equipped to help students develop their critical thoughts and arguments.

Objectives. The study aimed to explore the meaning of pedagogical and research practice in physical education teacher training in the city of Medellín, as part of a broader study on the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) of these professionals regarding research. Materials and Methods. An interpretive approach with a multiple case study design was employed. Semi-structured interviews, validated by experts, were conducted with 18 teachers from the four universities that offer degrees in physical eduation and sports in the city of Medellín. The data was analyzed using Atlas.ti v25 software through open, axial and selective coding. Results. Six key purposes of pedagogical and research practice were identified: training the teacher-researcher, developing critical thinking, combining theory and practice, contextual reading, recognizing professional fields of action, and training in research. Project-based learning was found to be a recurring methodology. Furthermore, a tension was identified between traditional practical training in physical education and the need to develop research skills. Conclusions. Pedagogical and research practice should overcome the dichotomy between theory and practice through active pedagogies, develop skills for contextualized action research, and address various professional fields. The study contributes a framework for redesigning curricula that integrate research as a cross-cutting theme in physical education teacher training.

ABSTRACTBackground: Assessment can have various functions, and is an important impetus for student learning. For assessment to be effective, it should be aligned with curriculum goals and of sufficient quality. Although it has been suggested that assessment quality in physical education (PE) is suboptimal, research into actual assessment practices has been relatively scarce.Purpose: The goals of the present study were to determine the quality of assessment, teachers’ views on the functions of assessment, the alignment of assessment with learning goals, and the actual assessment practices in secondary PE in the Netherlands.Participants and setting: A total of 260 PE teachers from different schools in the Netherlands filled out an online Physical Education Assessment Questionnaire (PEAQ) on behalf of their school.Data collection: The online questionnaire (PEAQ) contained the following sections: quality of assessment, intended functions of assessment, assessment practices, and intended goals of PE.Data analysis: Percentages of agreement were calculated for all items. In addition, assessment quality items were recoded into a numerical value between 1 and 5 (mean ± SD). Cronbach’s alpha was calculated for each predefined quality aspect of the PEAQ, and for assessment quality as a whole.Findings: Mean assessment quality (±SD) was 3.6 ± 0.6. With regard to the function of assessment, most PE teachers indicated that they intended using assessment as a means of supporting the students’ learning process (formative function). At the same time, the majority of schools take PE grades into account for determining whether a student may enter the next year (summative function). With regard to assessment practices, a large variety of factors are included when grading, and observation is by far the assessment technique most widely applied. A minority of PE teachers grade students without predetermined assessment criteria, and usually criteria are identical for all students. There is an apparent discrepancy between reported PE goals and assessment practices; although increasing students’ fitness levels is the least important goal of PE lessons according to the PE teachers, 81% reports that fitness is one of the factors being judged. Conversely, while 94% considers gaining knowledge about physical activity and sports as one of the goals of PE, only 34% actually assesses knowledge.Conclusions: Assessment in Dutch PE is of moderate quality. The findings further suggest that PE teachers consider assessment for learning important but that their assessment practices are not generally in line with this view. Furthermore, there seems to be a lack of alignment between intended learning outcomes and what is actually being valued and assessed. We believe that these results call for a concerted effort from PE departments, school boards, and the education inspectorate to scrutinise existing assessment practices, and work together to optimise PE assessment.

With the rapid development of high and new technology, leading the 21st reality, computer information technology has increasingly taken up an irreplaceable role in all aspects and has become one of the most basic tools in all walks of life. Physical education practice is one of the most important links in the education system of our country. Of course, computer information technology was introduced to support education. Based on computer information technology, this paper analyzes the university physical education and summarizes its development trend. First of all, by explaining the current situation of physical education technology and the characteristics of network education, this paper puts forward the idea of College Physical Education under the network information education environment of organically integrating high education concepts and information techniques. The integration of network teaching into physical education has affected the traditional concepts of physical education and promoted the reform of physical education. It analyzes the application prospects of computer information technology in improving work efficiency, scientific management and improving teaching methods in physical education practice, and proposes that computer information technology will show a broad development space for physical education. And this article selects 100 students from two classes of physical education major of the University of Physical Education to conduct a practical investigation. The experimental research results show that in recent years, people have made continuous efforts to explore and research, apply computer information technology to physical education, and have achieved relatively good results. Based on the analysis of the advantages of computer information technology in physical education, this article further explores how to make full use of the advantages of computer information technology to provide an effective basis for the optimization and improvement of physical education in my country.