The TPSR model, developed by Don Hellison, has been widely adopted in PE and YDP to foster life skills such as respect, effort, and self-direction among students, particularly those from marginalised communities. However, through the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT), this article examines how TPSR's predominant research focus on racialized minority students - especially Black students - racializes responsibility, positioning racialized minority youth as inherently 'irresponsible.' This 'othering' process reinforces the deficit-oriented narratives that attribute behavioural and social shortcomings to racialized identities rather than systemic inequities. Drawing on CRT tenets such as the permanence of racism and the critique of liberalism, the analysis reveals how TPSR, despite its emancipatory intentions, perpetuates racial hierarchies by framing Black students as needing intervention to achieve 'normal' responsibility (e.g. Boyd, K., Dixon, C., Simon, M., & Bennett, G. (2025). "In the line of fire": Critical race counternarratives from Black and Latine physical education and teacher education faculty. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1123/jtpe.2025-0049). This scholarly exploration integrates historical context, empirical research trends, and theoretical critiques, drawing on existing PE literature addressing race and racism (e.g. Abel et al., 2024). Students' perspectives on racism and anti-racism in physical education: a systematic review. Frontiers in Sociology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2024.1374277; Blackshear, T. B., & Culp, B. (2023). Critical race studies in physical education. Human Kinetics; Harrison, L., & Clark, L. (2016). Contemporary issues of social justice: A focus on race and physical education in the United States. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 87(3), 230-241. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2016.1199166) to advocate for anti-racist adaptations of TPSR. Implications for educators include shifting from deficit models to asset-based pedagogies that centre racial justice.
Play holds a prominent place in children's lives and development and is increasingly emphasised in Physical Education (PE) curricula internationally, including in Norway. However, how play is pedagogically enacted in the early school years remains underexplored. This article examines how play is implemented in Norwegian primary PE (grades 1-4) and analyses what opportunities different forms of play may create for students' learning and growth. Drawing on Dewey's concepts of play, work and growth, we analysed observations of 26 PE lessons and interviews with 16 teachers from four schools. The analysis identified three pedagogical forms of play along a continuum from teacher-led to student-led activity: 'camouflaged work', 'facilitated play' and 'free play'. Camouflaged work dominated classroom practice, while facilitated play occurred only occasionally. Free play often created greater opportunities for autonomy and exploration, although teachers sometimes struggled to articulate how these experiences connected to broader educational intentions. Interpreting these forms through a Deweyan lens shows how different pedagogical arrangements shape the relationship between student agency, playful engagement and educational direction. By conceptualising pedagogical forms of play in PE, the study contributes an analytical framework for understanding how play can balance curriculum goals with children's developmental needs in the early school years.
Norway instituted a renewed national physical education curriculum in 2019 after an extensive process of stakeholder participation. Given the increasing focus both on climate change and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in recent years, it is important to investigate how sustainable development (SD) is represented in this curriculum. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine how SD is represented in five documents related to the Norwegian physical education curriculum reform and design. The SDGs functioned as a lens through which to conduct this document analysis. Results suggest that while multiple aspects of SD were addressed throughout the policy documents behind the reform, explicit references to SD were limited in the resulting physical education curriculum. This suggests that the Norwegian physical education curriculum may benefit from a more comprehensive approach to SD for aligning with the core curriculum and legitimizing physical education in schools of the future.
This paper foregrounds the voices of people with disabilities (PwD) and their experiences of Physical Education (PE) in Western Australia (WA) in exploring interests in transgressive inclusion that are grounded in social justice and equity for PwD (DeLuca, 2013). Towards an interdisciplinary framework for educational inclusivity. Canadian Journal of Education, 36(1), 305-348. https://journals.sfu.ca/cje/index.php/cje-rce/article/view/1157/1475). The study employed a questionnaire method to pursue the perspectives of PwD in relation to (i) their experiences of lower secondary PE (years 7-10), (ii) teacher support in PE classes, (iii) experiences beyond PE in sport and physical activity, and (iv) their views regarding ways to improve PE for PwD. Findings highlight that normative conceptualisations of inclusion (DeLuca, 2013). Towards an interdisciplinary framework for educational inclusivity. Canadian Journal of Education, 36(1), 305-348. https://journals.sfu.ca/cje/index.php/cje-rce/article/view/1157/1475) inherently limit opportunities to explore and leverage the insights that PwD can provide to advance understandings and practice directed towards inclusion in PE. The paper emphasises the need for a disability voice in PE to be strengthened as an important step towards the expression of DeLuca's transgressive forms of inclusion.
This study examined physical education teachers' perceptions of opportunities and challenges in implementing model-based practices (MBP) following a 25-hour continuous professional development (CPD) course. Through qualitative analysis of focus group data collected at three time points, nine in-service PE teachers navigated conceptual, pedagogical, cultural, and political dilemmas when integrating student-centred models into practice. Thematic analysis revealed that whilst CPD stimulated teachers' curiosity and motivation to experiment with new instructional strategies, the absence of continuous mentorship and collaborative learning structures significantly limited sustained implementation. Teachers faced persistent systemic barriers, including institutional resistance and grade-focused assessment cultures. Notably, implementation challenges affected experienced educators as much as early-career teachers. Findings suggest that meaningful MBP adoption requires restructured professional development combining initial intensive training with ongoing mentorship and collaborative reflection within professional learning communities, supported by conducive school cultures and assessment policies.
Globally, Health and Physical Education (HPE) teachers play a key role in shaping adolescents' nutrition knowledge, yet little is known about how their professional identities influence nutrition education delivery in Australia. This study addressed this gap by exploring secondary HPE teachers' perceptions of their identities as subject matter, pedagogical, or didactic experts, and how these identities shape their teaching practices. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach was used, involving a survey (n = 38) and interviews (n = 5). Findings revealed identity-based differences in approach, underscoring the need for targeted professional development, enhanced pre-service training, and a whole-school approach to strengthen nutrition education in secondary schools.
Initial teacher education programmes play a pivotal role in preparing teaching cohorts capable of addressing the diverse needs of all students. The aim of this study was to investigate how Health and Physical Education pre-service teachers perceived their competencies towards teaching traditional Indigenous games and sports material at the required Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Graduate Standards 1.4 and 2.4. A sample of eleven (male: n = 6, female: n = 5), final year health and physical education specialist pre-service teachers (primary and secondary) participated in the study. Drawing upon Dewey's philosophy of education, this study provides insights into the preparedness and confidence of pre-service teachers through a mixed-methods approach consisting of an attitude survey to collect quantitative data, whilst a 'yarning' methodology was utilised to collect qualitative data. The results suggest that more than 25% of the sample cohort self-reported that they lack preparedness and confidence to meet the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Graduate Standards 1.4 and 2.4 upon completion of their teaching degrees. Furthermore, the results also suggest that students undertake physical education teacher education programmes with deeply embedded, difficult-to-change beliefs of teaching and learning based upon their own educational experiences.
Health literacy (HL) and education are determinants capable of addressing inequity. HL can be defined as the ability to access, understand and use health information and services for better health. This discussion paper examines the educative purpose of Health and Physical Education (HPE) and reinforces why HL should be an assessable outcome of HPE curriculum in Australian schools. In reference to the literature, we position schools as important settings for HL development and unpack the problem of health education (HE) being marginalised as part of HPE and within the whole school approach to health promotion. We propose ways for teachers to optimise HL development in HE classrooms to foster a health-supporting culture in schools. We theorise HL as a logical, progressive outcome of HE in schools and argue that teachers require greater support to be more accountable in ensuring young people develop their knowledge and capabilities to be health-literate citizens.
This autoethnography explores how a novice ethnographer developed the ability to navigate a Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) context, through transformative learning processes. While PETE ethnographic literature extensively examined power structures, it rarely addresses how ethnographers evolve through encounters with these forces. Guided by Mezirow's transformative learning theory, this study reconstructs key power-laden fieldwork episodes from field notes, reflexive diaries, audio records, photo documentation, and ethnographic artefacts across year-long immersion. Thematic analysis revealed four power-related dilemmas that catalysed transformation: confronting formal researcher identity, navigating gatekeeping and surveillance, managing authenticity-instrumentality tensions, and balancing participant-observer roles. Evolving from reactive responses towards reflective-informed agency, key transformations included reconstructing professional identity, developing recursive self-examination skills, building field-adaptive responsiveness, and reconceptualising ethics as ongoing relational negotiation. This study extends Mezirow's framework by illustrating transformation as recursive rather than linear, with overlapping cycles triggered by simultaneous dilemmas. It also emphasises transformation's underexplored contextual and social-affective dimensions pointing to its role in shaping the ethnographer development, alongside primarily cognition-driven critical reflection. Ultimately, this study provides a nuanced developmental account of how, through reflexive engagement, fieldwork acted as a power-laden 'lived-syllabus' promoting transformative shifts in field praxis.
This paper is concerned with secondary school health education in changing times. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the national curriculum is about to change. So too is the face of young people in secondary school education - with Generation Alpha making their entry. In the research that underpins this paper, thirteen recent school leavers contributed recommendations for future practice in health education. Undertaking a reflexive thematic analysis of their suggestions formed pieces of a puzzle, traversing the pieces that were missing from their health education experiences, the pieces central to teaching practice, and the pieces on the edges of classroom practice. The ideas in this paper may spark people's thoughts about how health education can adapt to changing times and changing needs of people with the ultimate aim of better meeting the learning needs of Generation Alpha in the coming years.
Physical Education (PE) in primary schools is crucial for developing foundational skills supporting children's interactions with physical activity. Although PE is considered a core subject in Fiji, it does not appear prominent in either classroom practice or Initial Teacher Education (ITE) program design. This study aimed to capture the voice of the B.Ed. (Primary) teacher training students to explore the perceived efficacy of the current degree design in supporting their PE teaching practice in terms of both confidence and competence. The research team adopted a mixed-methods design to gain richer insights, integrating quantitative and qualitative techniques. A survey tool was developed to collect quantitative data, while focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted to gather qualitative insights. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyse the quantitative data, while an inductive approach guided qualitative data analysis using Braun and Clarke's (2006, 2019) thematic analysis framework. The study explored two key themes: (i) the viewpoint of PE and (ii) broadening the scope of opportunities for growth. The findings revealed limited content coverage, a lack of confidence in PE content delivery, and inadequate training resources. Participants strongly advocated for curriculum reform, enhanced practicum support, and integration of innovative, technology-driven pedagogies.
Outdoor education continues to be a key part of many students' school experience in Australia. Yet, the role of outdoor education in Australian curricula frameworks is fragmented. Despite the well-established and growing offerings of senior secondary outdoor education courses in Australia, there are no formally established knowledge, understandings, and skills specific to outdoor education in the Australian Curriculum F-10 (v9.0) and its state-based versions; despite the increasing relevance of what outdoor education can offer young people during their formative years of schooling. This omission of outdoor education from the F-10 curriculum places the current and future ability of teachers to engage students in this meaningful learning area at risk, particularly outside the non-government school sector. In this paper, we employ a descriptive policy analysis to examine the possible inclusion of outdoor education in future versions of the Health and Physical Education Learning area of the Australian Curriculum F-10. Through this approach, we argue that outdoor education encompasses unique knowledge, understandings and skills not currently articulated within the Australian Curriculum F-10. Accordingly, we propose that their inclusion would complement the overarching aims of the Health and Physical Education learning area.
The purpose of this study was to examine the organizational socialisation experiences of Chilean physical education teachers working in special school settings. An experiential qualitative research design was used, and nine (n = 9) physical education teachers (six males and three females; ages 29-50 years of age) participated in this study. In-depth semi-structured online interviews and researchers' reflexive notes were utilised as methods of data collection. The analytical approach employed was thematic analysis. The themes constructed were: (a) 'I never imagined that I would be working in a special school': Unexpected entrances and early experiences in special schools; (b) 'I don't see myself there until I retire': Challenges of working in special schools; and (c) 'I have to sing to her throughout class to get her to do things': Embracing individuality. In this study, the Chilean physical educators employed in special schools discussed complex experiences with unique challenges. Special schools do not appear to be an initial workplace of choice to teachers, and the challenges discussed here are aligned with the international literature. Nonetheless, findings unearth that the individuality of disabled students has been used as a resource to inform pedagogical practice.
Schools are beneficial settings to enhance the health literacy knowledge and capabilities of students. A small number of international health education curricula now focus on health literacy development. The hierarchical model of health literacy, proposed by Nutbeam (2000), is the foundation of the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education, encouraging teachers to work towards developing students' health literacy, including critical health literacy. However, there is minimal research that focuses on developing critical health literacy of students with intellectual disabilities. This research study used a single school case study design to address this gap by focusing on the critical health literacy development among students with intellectual disabilities. A professional development and co-design session took place to increase the number of critical health literacy activities embedded in a health education programme. Student work samples were collected, and individual student interviews occurred during observation lessons to collect evidence of health literacy knowledge and capabilities. An interview with the classroom teacher was also conducted. Through co-design processes, critical health literacy activities were planned and taught, with students with intellectual disabilities capable of demonstrating critical health literacy.
Physical Education (PE) teachers and PE teacher educators (PETEs) play a crucial role in implementing new curricula. Although existing research indicates that curriculum discourses can shape teachers' and teacher educators' perspectives of the formal curriculum, their perspectives are influenced by the discourses they bring to their reading of it. The aim of this article is to scrutinise PE teachers' and PETEs' perspectives on the current PE curricula at the time of transition to a new curriculum. Data were collected from a workshop held as part of a national PE research conference in Norway, attended by 43 participants representing both PE teachers and PETEs. While some participants appreciated certain changes introduced by the curriculum, our findings generally indicate that many PE teachers and PETEs found the current curriculum problematic in several key areas. Both groups were particularly critical of what they perceived as an overly open and vague curriculum. However, we also observed differences between the perceptions of PE teachers and PETEs. The PETEs were considerably more positive than the teachers regarding the curriculum's emphasis on theory and reflection. We argue that the discursive repertoire within which PE teachers and PETE educators are embedded influences their perspectives about a (new) curriculum.
Global concerns about children's mental health have led to a proliferation of school-based mental health education programs. These programs are increasingly devised, funded and implemented by for-profit organisations and actors. In this article, I critically examine three Australian-based mental health businesses that promote mental health programs to primary and secondary schools across Australia. Using Foucault's notion of governmentality, I examine how these private sector companies draw on 'expert' science and research to market themselves as both experts in mental health and experts in mental health education. I interrogate how dominant discourses of psychological expertise help form relay points between rationalities of neoliberalism and technologies of commercialisation, acting as a means to govern schools, teachers and students 'at a distance' and to profit from the mental health crisis.
This article explores the negotiation of contemporary policy agendas in physical education and sport-focused degree programs. Centring on one Higher Education Institution in Wales, the article pursues three foci in negotiations that are integral to the everyday work, relations and identities of academic staff: the commodification of university sport; quality learning and teaching; and changing relations with industry. Conceptually, the article draws upon Bernstein's concept of symbolic boundaries to critically explore the translation and enactment of different policy agendas, and pursue constraints and possibilities arising for subject, professional and learner identities. Data from focus groups and interviews with 16 participants showed that participants' conscious engagement in complex policy work legitimises existing identities while creating opportunities for future transformations of the programs. The article emphasises the need to create structures that establish conditions to support academic staff in enhancing skills, knowledge, and capabilities to engage creatively with multiple policy agendas.
