Physical education and health (PEH) is recognized as a key facilitator in advancing holistic and sustainable approaches to education, while also fostering health and well-being (HWB). However, little is known about how PEH teachers make sense of and address sustainable development in their teaching practices. The overarching aim of this study was to explore how sustainability-oriented learning can be contextualized and implemented in PEH practice. This is realized by using data from a 2-year-long action research project, with a certain focus on promoting students' HWB. The participants were 10 Swedish PEH teachers (median age: 45, range 30-53; median years teaching PEH: 19, range 7-25) at a Swedish upper secondary school with approximately 1200 students. The project was launched in March 2022 and stretched over five semesters. An action research approach guided the inquiry process through the iterative process of thinking, planning, acting, evaluating and reflecting. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews, recordings of collaborative workshops, synthesis documents, field notes and participants' logbooks. An abductive analysis generated four overarching themes: (i) 'Developing critical skills for sustainable HWB'; (ii) 'New learning objectives and teaching practices for sustainability'; (iii) 'Proposing concrete actions and content in PEH' and (iv) 'Re-oriented health perspective'. The findings suggest that PEH can offer a distinctive contribution to the sustainability agenda by framing movement, HWB and outdoor activities within broader social and ecological contexts. A key pedagogical strategy was to build a student's 'toolbox' of concepts, experiences and strategies that students could draw upon to navigate the complexities of health and life. Sustainability-oriented learning in PEH suggests a transformative change of perspective regarding curricula, learning outcomes and content, and holds the potential to equip students with practical strategies for HWB and critical tools to navigate and question dominant health discourses and sociocultural practices.

The purpose of the present study was to explore whether distinct data-driven clusters could be identified based on engagement with sustainable development (SD) and perceived SD competencies (SDCs) among physical education (PE) teachers and to examine whether these emergent clusters differed with respect to background characteristics. This secondary analysis included 2,074 certified PE teachers in Sweden who completed an online survey designed to gather information on their background characteristics and examine perceived SDC in the context of PE. A two-step cluster analysis was conducted to identify distinct clusters. Differences across clusters were examined using chi-square tests of independence, Kruskal–Wallis tests, and one-way analyses of variance. The following three-cluster solution best described the data: (i) experienced teachers with high SDC, (ii) inexperienced teachers with high SDC, and (iii) inexperienced teachers with low SDC. No differences were observed between the clusters in terms of sex (p = 0.87) and age (p = 0.97). A larger proportion of participants in the experienced teachers with high SDC cluster taught PE when completing the survey (p < 0.001) and reported more years of teaching PE (p < 0.001). They also reported higher agreement that PE has good conditions for addressing sustainability issues based on the current syllabus and that the overall aim of PE relates well to abilities and behaviors that promote SD (p < 0.001). Overall, the results emphasized the need for targeted professional development and initial teacher education programs that explicitly integrate SD, enhancing competence and confidence among PE teachers in addressing sustainability.

Previous research on inequalities in physical activity (PA) during school time has mainly focused on identifying differences between groups within social categories. Less attention has been given to pupils' own perspectives on how their social categories influence their physical activity. Therefore, this study aims to explore pupils' understanding of the importance of, and the intersections between, social categories in PA during school time. This study is part of a larger research project with a multiple-case study design involving two municipal schools in a suburb of Western Sweden. Pupils' background (Swedish or foreign) and parental post-secondary education distinguished the two schools. In spring 2024, 52 pupils in Year Five, Seven, and Nine participated in 11 semi-structured focus group interviews focusing on the meanings, relations, and rankings of gender, ethnic culture, economy, age, and religion. Data were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis, adopting an abductive approach. The findings highlighted the importance of, and the intersections between, social categories within PA during school time, which are shaped by categorical comparisons, pupil interactions, and institutional structures. In particular, pupils constructed gender and age as especially important and closely intersecting. Furthermore, through the intersection of power relations structured by gender and age, older boys gained notable privilege. The pupils also stressed the importance of context, recognising that social categories, such as the economy, carry different importance within and outside school. This study underscores that heterogeneity or homogeneity among pupils' social categories can shape the importance of, and the intersections between, these social categories. These insights, along with an understanding of contextual and domain-specific factors, are crucial for analysing the structures that underpin power relations in PA during school time, a subject that warrants further study.

Traditionally associated with physical wellness, Physical Education (PE) is now recognized as a platform for holistic education aligned with sustainable development goals (SDGs). Spanish universities are committed to integrating these goals into their curricula. In this sense, a key challenge for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) lies in transforming teaching approaches to integrate sustainability within specific subjects like PE, where pre-service teachers' perceptions play a vital role in shaping innovative and effective strategies for this integration. This study explored the perspectives of key informants on the integration of sustainability into the core elements of the Spanish PE curriculum. The study sample included 75 final-year Physical Activity and Sport Sciences students. Adopting a phenomenological approach, data was collected through semi-structured interviews focused on practical applications of sustainability competencies in PE. The qualitative data was analysed in three stages using Atlas.ti v.7.5.18 software: data organization, category coding, and semantic network structuring. The findings, categorized into six meta-categories - objectives, content, methods, student roles, learning environment, and assessment - highlighted the importance of cultivating awareness about the long-term consequences of actions, promoting healthy lifestyles and reducing waste. Content focused on traditional sports, values, and non-polluting transport, while teaching methods included cooperative learning, problem-solving, and roles simulation. Formative assessment, particularly self - and peer-assessment, emerged as crucial for promoting reflection and growth in sustainability competencies. In conclusion, a sustainability-focused pedagogical approach in PE requires diverse, student-centred, and reflective teaching methods to develop environmental, economic, and social competencies. From the pre-service teachers' perspective, this study offers a foundation for creating a pedagogical model to incorporate competencies for sustainable development in PE. Future research could refine, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of this model in fostering sustainability competences.

Background Physical literacy (PL) is recognised by UNESCO and WHO for fostering lifelong physical activity. Although PL stands on the global agenda of health and education policies, analyses of the adoption by European education are scant. This study aimed to map the alignment of physical education with PL in Europe, explore potential predictors at country level, and identify country ‘alignment laggards’. Methods Experts from 40 European countries assessed the alignment of national physical education curricula with PL using a pre-validated 15-indicator survey (α = 0·86). Country-level PL alignment scores were calculated and mapped. Regression models investigated whether these scores were predicted by educational attainment (PISA), human development (Human Development Index), relative economic strength (Gross Domestic Product/Capita), societal liberty (Human Freedom Index), and innovation spirit (Global Innovation Index). Residual errors were computed to identify association-adjusted ‘laggards’ in curricular PL alignment. Findings Significant heterogeneity in PL alignment existed across Europe. Estonia, Wales, Finland, and Norway showed the highest, and Romania, Croatia, Cyprus, and England the lowest PL alignment. Countries' educational attainment (β = 0·43 [CI95 0·13, 0·65], p = 0·0062), human development (β = 0·32 [CI95 0·011, 0·58], p = 0·043), and innovation spirit (β = 0·32 [CI95 0·0071, 0·58], p = 0·046) were significantly associated with curricular PL alignment but not relative economic strength and liberty. A total of 17 European countries were consistent ‘laggards’ in curricular PL alignment across all significant predictors. Interpretation PL policies follow educational, developmental, and innovative gradients. Stakeholders should integrate PL as a strategic lever to transform physical education, guiding curricula and programmes to foster health through lifelong physical activity. Funding None.

The rationale for teaching Physical Education (PE) in the Swedish school system has, like in other countries, changed over time, from solely including physical cultures like sport, gymnastics, outdoor life, and dance, to acquiring a broader role following society’s changing needs. The paper’s overall aim is to contribute to the discussion about strategies and content for future quality in PETE and PE by using the Swedish PETE training, PE-practice, and international literature as a fond. The paper gives a short historical background of the development of the PETE field. Since mid-1990s the name of the subject changed to Physical Education and Health (PEH), an amendment triggered by young peoples’ growing physical inactivity. Since then several curricula reforms have continued to be implemented to find solutions to problems often formulated by external stakeholders. But PETE-training and the PEH have remained surprisingly unchanged in form and content. By highlighting critique and tensions within the PE field, the educative role of PETE and PEH is discussed in the frame of didactical questions and aspects of professional knowledge. The paper ends with an example of a possible re-orientation of PETE and PE with a forward-looking perspective: PEH and sustainable development.

The study explored physical education teacher educators’ (PETE educators) perspectives on integrating sustainable development (SD) imperatives within PETE courses. Nine PETE educators participated in a nine-month professional learning project featuring six workshops and seminars promoting reflection, peer discussion and dialogic encounters. The PETE educators designed pedagogical interventions based on their teaching practices, selecting teaching units where SD perspectives could be integrated. Data included intervention papers, audio-recorded sessions and logbooks, analysed descriptively and thematically. The proposed interventions focused on inclusion, equality and lifelong physical activity, and typically included lectures, seminars, student-centred teaching, reflections and assignments. Challenges included contextualising SD in PETE, framing SD goals, integrating SD content and addressing its normative nature. The study offers insights into the potential of integrating SD perspectives in PETE, highlights associated challenges, and calls for further research to bridge theory and practice.

Sports have been identified as an important contributor to social sustainability, and the benefits for health, well-being, and social learning in young people are well evidenced. Youth elite sports, however, have been criticized as being unsustainable. Following calls for a more socially sustainable development of youth elite sports, research on the topic has increased. However, studies vary in disciplinary origin, concepts, content, and methodology. The aim of this systematic scoping review is to identify and synthesize the current disciplinary research knowledge. Five disciplinary databases were searched. Based on six eligibility criteria and a double-blind review process, a total of 99 articles were selected. Findings were first charted in tables and then examined using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Key findings are that there is a lack of conceptual clarity regarding social sustainability, and that the field of study is multidisciplinary with distinct thematic research areas (athlete development, athlete health and well-being, athlete development environment). Most research focuses on athlete-related micro aspects and less on organizational and societal dimensions. Inequity issues were found regarding social diversity, including an overrepresentation of soccer and men's sports. Furthermore, mostly quantitative methodologies are used. A theoretically based and empirically tested understanding of social sustainability is needed as well as research addressing aspects of holistic youth development. Attention should be paid to contextual and macro-level influences. Knowledge about preventive programs and practices that advance social sustainability in youth elite sports is necessary. Organizational conditions and funding programs should be created to increase trans- or multidisciplinary research.

Purpose: Literature suggest that physical education and health (PEH) may contribute to the sustainable development (SD) agenda, yet little is known how PEH teachers relate SD to their teaching practices. This paper explores Swedish upper secondary PEH teachers' experiences and perceived competence regarding teaching SD as part of PEH. Method: An online questionnaire was used to examine SD competence. Data from 702 PEH teachers were analyzed descriptively and inferentially. Results: PEH teachers perceive higher competence regarding the social dimension of SD compared to the economic and environmental dimensions. Female teachers and those with more than 15 years teaching experiences reported the highest perceived competence. Seventy percent of the respondents perceived that they lacked competence to teach SD. Discussion/Conclusion: PEH teachers struggle to relate SD to PEH practice and call for support to increase their competence in terms of how to conceptualize and transform SD into PEH teaching practice.

The professionalisation of sports coaching is approached in different ways depending on the country. In Sweden, social welfare ideals and traditions of volunteering have allowed coaching to be less professionalised. The aim of this article is to explore the impact of the professionalisation of sports coaching from the athlete's perspective. Interviews with six top-level Swedish players in women's and men's team sports were analysed using Bourdieu's theory of social fields. We found that the players' experiences with coaching reflect the doxa, power relations and capitals of their specific fields. Professionalisation was found to have multi-facetted effects on players and their careers. The environments of semi-professionalised Swedish clubs appear to benefit youth and holistic player development, however limited resources encourage players to migrate. Top professionalised clubs boost player performance and career development but run the risk of commodification and abuse. In conclusion, sport organisations are advised to keep local practices and athletes' perspectives in mind when navigating the global push towards the professionalisation of sport.

School grades are among the most common measurements used to analyze equality of outcome in education. Large or increasing 'gaps' in school grades between boys and girls and between students with different migration background are considered strong indicators of inequality. Based on students' school grades, several studies have shown that equality in Swedish schools has decreased during the last two decades. Although equality has been described as one of the most important goals in physical education (PE), studies that focus on equality of outcome are lacking. Moreover, there have been no studies that focus on equality of outcome since the 2011 implementation of a new school grading system in Sweden. Therefore, the aim of this study is to contribute with new knowledge on equality in PE in Sweden - in regard to gender and migration background. The study is based on register data for all students enrolled in Swedish schools during the years 2012-2016 from Grades 6 and 9 and Year 1 in upper secondary school (N = 1 ,294,990). Based on a cross-sectional approach, analyses were conducted to explore general trends in students' school grades in PE in the study period 2012-2016, and to calculate the percentage difference in PE grades between students with a Swedish background and both students with a foreign background and foreign-born students. After controlling for grade inflation, regression analyses with Wald tests were used to analyze how gender has moderated the relationship between migration background and school grades in PE in Sweden between 2012 and 2016. The results from this study suggest that (a) the intersection of gender and migration background is related to unequal school grades in PE, (b) there are gender equality issues in relation to students' school grades in PE and, (c) the most prominent equality issues concern the group foreign-born girls.

In the present study, we present a cross-country comparison of the status and condition of sustainable development (SD) in the Nordic physical education (PE) curricula. The aim of the study was to increase knowledge of how SD perspectives are represented and conceptualised in the Nordic PE curricula. An expert-driven research approach was used where representatives from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden provided country overviews and completed surveys to elaborate on the status, pre-conditions, prospect/future, and research initiatives in relation to SD in PE. The study shows that SD perspectives seldom are explicitly mentioned in the Nordic PE curricula, and that little is known regarding how PE teachers understand SD in relation to PE goals and content in their countries. Suggestions on specific SD goals to focus on in Nordic PE, as well as suggestions on future research are provided and discussed in the paper.

Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals are based on a vision of how we can manage sustainable development issues in our society and environment. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on what it might mean to adopt educative aspects of sustainable development in the field of physical education and thus by that calling into question existing cultures and practices. Here we give an overview of organizational expectations on education for sustainable development. We use this approach to critically reflect on how this focus can both challenge and enable a rethinking and reorientation of physical education and physical education teacher education practices. Three steps are suggested for opening a process that can deepen our conversations and strengthen our actions in relation to education for sustainable development: curricula revisions, a reorientation of learning perspectives, and a rethinking of perspectives on health and well-being.

Background/objective: The holistic concept of physical literacy (PL) embraces different person-centered qualities (physical, cognitive, affective/psychological) necessary to lead physically active lifestyles. PL has recently gained increasing attention globally and Europe is no exception. However, scientific endeavors summarizing the current state of PL in Europe are lacking. Therefore, the goal of this study was to comprehensively assess and compare the implementation of PL in research, policy, and practice across the continent. Methods: We assembled a panel of experts representing 25 European countries. Employing a complementary mixed-methods design, the experts first prepared reviews about the current state of PL in their countries (categories: research, practice/policy). The reviews underwent comparative document analysis, ensuring a transnational four-eyes principle. For re-validation purposes, the representatives completed a quantitative survey with questions reflecting the inductive themes from the document analysis. Results: The document analysis resulted in ten disjunct themes (related to “concept”, “research”, “practice/policy”, “future/prospect”) and yielded a heterogenous PL situation in Europe. The implementation state was strongly linked to conceptual discussions (e.g., existence of competing approaches), linguistic issues (e.g., translations), and country-specific traditions. Despite growing scholarly attention, PL hesitantly permeates practice and policy in most countries. Nevertheless, the experts largely anticipate increasing popularity of PL for the future. Conclusion: Despite the heterogeneous situation across Europe, the analysis has uncovered similarities among the countries, such as the presence of established yet not identical concepts. Research should intensify academic activities (conceptual-linguistic elaborations, empirical work) before PL may gain further access into practical and political spheres in the long term.

Health in physical education (PE) has in recent decades received growing public and political attention. PE is recognized as playing an important role in promoting health and well-being among children and adolescents. Critical PE scholars contest the prevalent biomedical perspective on health for its narrow conceptualization of health and its exclusive focus on physical activity and disease prevention. Instead, alternative (critical and/or salutogenic) perspectives that emphasize the holistic nature of health are advocated. Previous research has identified a lack of empirical research on the topic. The purpose of this scoping review was to contribute to knowledge about what characterizes empirical research literature with holistic perspectives on health and discuss the implications for teaching PE. Four databases (SportDiscus, ERIC, Web of Science, and Scopus) were searched for peer-reviewed literature in academic journals between 2002 and 2021. Only 12 out of 3263 identified articles included empirical research with holistic perspectives on health. Using thematic analysis, two distinct themes were identified: (i) "teachers' philosophies and didactic considerations," exploring teachers' understanding and beliefs and implications for PE practice and (ii) "alternative ways to teach," where teachers engage in co-creating, enacting, and evaluating holistic health-related curricula. The findings indicate that although PE teachers may hold a narrow understanding of health, they are receptive to alternative perspectives and capable of critical reflections and renegotiations, if given appropriate support and opportunities for professional development. Challenging PE teachers' philosophies and empowering them in the co-creation and implementation of holistic, student-centered curricula can create sustainable opportunities to enhance students' well-being.

Background There is a global consensus that stimulating and fostering children's creativity in education is crucial. Addressing creativity has become an imperative in educational policies and in school curricula internationally. School-based physical education (PE), and specifically the teaching area of dance, has been identified as an important pedagogical setting within which to develop creativity. Existing studies have suggested, however, that dance is seldom taught in PE in ways that acknowledge creative aspects of movement learning. Scholars have claimed that teaching pre-arranged dances with predetermined movement outcomes dominate dance teaching in PE. Furthermore, studies have asserted that the overarching regulative principles of PE and PETE that privilege sport skills and physical exercise hinder creative movement learning. Still, dance teaching is frequently seen as part of expressive dance teaching in PE and PETE and is regarded as holding potential in the area of education for creativity. Little scholarly attention has been given to how teacher educators approach creative aspects in dance teaching. Purpose This article aims to create insights into how PETE teacher educators understand and work with creative aspects of dance in their educational practice. Method and theory To address our aim, we investigate how teacher educators describe their teaching of creative aspects of dance. To do this, empirical material was generated through qualitative interviews with PE teacher educators from each of the PETE institutions in Sweden. The theoretical concepts of smooth and striated spaces and experimentation by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari were used to guide the analysis of how the PETE educators described their teaching of creative aspects of dance. Deleuze and Guattari developed a framework that concerned questions of creativity and newness. Despite this conceptual framework having not yet been used in dance education in PE and PETE, their writing fits well when analysing questions of creativity in an educational context. Findings We identified three major themes relating to creativity in the empirical material: (a) creative aspects of expressive dance; (b) challenges that teacher educators face when introducing movement exploration in expressive dance to their students, and; (c) the teacher educators' pedagogical work with students. Discussion The results of this study show that teaching expressive dance can take teaching in PE and PETE in new directions. The results provide insights into alternative ways of teaching in these educational settings that can counter the dominant ways of teaching dance. Results suggest that teacher educators operate in various striated spaces that are shaped by expectations and conventions. In such spaces, the educators aim to create momentary passages of smoothening that open up for experimentation and the development of students' creativity. The results also suggest that expressive dance in PE and PETE emphasizes creative movement learning through which students learn to operate within new and unpredictable situations.

IntroductionTeachers have a vital role in educating and empowering students to become informed and active agents of change in promoting sustainable development (SD). Little is known what PE teachers teach about SD. The aim of the present study was to explore what certified compulsory school and upper-secondary school physical education (PE) teachers in Sweden teach about SD within their practice.MethodsAn online survey was used to collect data about background information and what the PE teachers had taught about SD in PE. Data from 653 PE teachers was used and the teaching examples were analyzed through thematic analysis.ResultsThe analysis resulted in eight themes: Equality, inclusion, and norms, Exploring the local environment, Outdoor education and care of nature, Interdisciplinary projects, Picking waste and recycling, Sustainable bodies, Sustainable lifestyles, health and well-being, and Sustainable use of products and consumption.DiscussionThe findings suggest that PE can have distinct subject-specific contribution to aspects of the SD agenda, but also a role to empower students of how movement, exercise, and sport can be embedded within a broader ecological perspective. Furthermore, the described themes may open for research about what competences that are particularly relevant for PE teachers in the context of SD.

In this paper, we add to the literature by exploring how sustainable development (SD) and sustainability-oriented learning, are reflected in the Swedish compulsory school and upper secondary school physical education and health (PEH) syllabi. The source of data was the PEH syllabi and the commentary material, as produced by the Swedish National Agency of Education. These were qualitatively analysed through document and thematic analysis using two educational guideline resources as guiding frameworks. We found no explicit statements related to SD in the PEH syllabi for the compulsory school and upper secondary school. In the commentary materials, however, there were explicit statements made in relation to outdoor life and nature and ergonomics. We also found links possible between the PEH syllabi and totally five SDGs as the syllabi stands today. Our analysis signals a lack of conceptualisation of SD, but also openings for working with these perspectives, and to address these in the Swedish PEH syllabi.