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Abstract
Can you find the child in physical education research? Can you see evidence of the child in research dealing with the school curriculum of physical education or the teaching-learning processes of the gymnasium or sportsfield? This is the pedagogical question to which I draw attention. My purpose is to show the significance of this question by (a) critiquing current research agendas and situating the question within the context of North American research traditions, by (b) entering the life of these traditions and showing how the question might guide our research activity, and by (c) indicating the nature of the methodology that supports our work. Through descriptions of children's physical activities, I give textual evidence of the pedagogical orientation at the heart of physical education research and, at the same time, provide concrete examples of a human science approach to physical education research, which I think goes some way to answering the question “Where is the child?”
... A related problem in this regard has been the general neglect by educationalists in discerning student understanding of the purpose and personal relevancy of physical education. Although a few studies have emerged in recent years (for example Groves, 1999;Williams, 1996;Williams and Woodhouse, 1996), much of the research to date concerning this issue has been of either a positivistic or a critical nature, which has excluded or marginalised the 'child' (Smith, 1991). Consequently, Smith's (1991) questioning of "where is the child in physical education research?"(p.38), and what authorises any account of physical education without gaining the views of children? retains significance a decade on. ...
... Although a few studies have emerged in recent years (for example Groves, 1999;Williams, 1996;Williams and Woodhouse, 1996), much of the research to date concerning this issue has been of either a positivistic or a critical nature, which has excluded or marginalised the 'child' (Smith, 1991). Consequently, Smith's (1991) questioning of "where is the child in physical education research?"(p.38), and what authorises any account of physical education without gaining the views of children? retains significance a decade on. Such a relative paucity of research and discourse on how students experience the physical education curriculum has also been highlighted by others (Dyson, 1995;Graham, 1995aGraham, , 1995bHarris, 1994;Walling and Duda, 1995), even though they (students) are considered, rhetorically at least, as being "central to the educational process" (Dyson, 1995, p.194). ...
... The principal significance of the study thus lies in the need to develop, through researching students' opinions, perceived meaningful activities and experiences for students as a first step in any alteration in order to maximise benefits for those for whom the curriculum is designed. Consequently, it is believed that any further understanding of how students interpret the significance and purpose of physical education may help both curriculum delivery (Smith, 1991) and student achievement, as it is only when curriculum and teaching goals are valued, that is, deemed purposeful by pupils, that success in terms of personal progress, mastery and achievement are reached (Papaioannou and Macdonald, 1993). Echoing this point, Erickson and Schultz (1992) concluded that "we need to consider the quality of student experience, as subjectively defined by the student, during the time of engagement in learning" (p.482) if pedagogical and curricular improvement is to occur. ...
Despite the dearly presented objectives and general requirements of physical education within the National Curriculum in England and Wales, doubts have emerged as to whether these are fully appreciated and understood by those for whom it is designed. The purpose of this study was to investigate this issue through exploring pupils’ perceptions of their physical education programme, specifically in terms of what meaning, if any, they derived from the subject. The respondents within the study comprised 10 secondary school pupils who were divided into three focus groups. The resulting data yielded findings related to a general dislike of health related exercise, the continuing perception of physical education as recreation, the perception of the subject as being synonymous with sport and a general lack of understanding as to its educational purpose and value as stated in the National Curriculum.
... Importantly, respondents acknowledged their subjectivities: I was naturally inclined to experience joy when I was active, but most people weren't. (Female, experienced teacher) Further to this, teachers either individually or as a team sought to understand via mimesis (Smith 1991(Smith , 2007 what children who were fearful of physical education felt like and sensed in their lessons. They engaged in a range of activities, performing and participating in dance or singing, reflecting and thinking about their 'experiences' from a subjective stance. ...
... It is likely that some teachers and practitioners will be confronted by such ethnographies, but I feel that the significance of an individual's sensory 'scapes' (Sparkes 2009) gives example to a 'corporeal (re)turn' , where the embodied basis of meaning and meaning-making of deep, intrinsic, somaesthethic and subjective feelings as experienced by individuals through movement, contributes significantly to the 'education' of the moving actor. In this sense some teachers are developing deeper pedagogical relationships -as highlighted by van Manen (1997) -where the child does not get marginalised in the process of developing curriculum and pedagogical approaches consistent with subjective, intrinsic ways of knowing (Smith 1991). ...
This volume offers an alternative vision for education and has been written for those who are passionate about teaching and learning, in schools, universities and in the community, and providing people with the values, knowledge and skills needed to face complex social and environmental challenges. Working across boundaries the socio-ecological educator is a visionary who strives to build community connections and strengthen relationships with the natural world. The ideas and real-world case studies presented in this book will bring that vision a step closer to reality. © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014. All rights are reserved.
... Importantly, respondents acknowledged their subjectivities: I was naturally inclined to experience joy when I was active, but most people weren't. (Female, experienced teacher) Further to this, teachers either individually or as a team sought to understand via mimesis (Smith 1991(Smith , 2007 what children who were fearful of physical education felt like and sensed in their lessons. They engaged in a range of activities, performing and participating in dance or singing, reflecting and thinking about their 'experiences' from a subjective stance. ...
... It is likely that some teachers and practitioners will be confronted by such ethnographies, but I feel that the significance of an individual's sensory 'scapes' (Sparkes 2009) gives example to a 'corporeal (re)turn' , where the embodied basis of meaning and meaning-making of deep, intrinsic, somaesthethic and subjective feelings as experienced by individuals through movement, contributes significantly to the 'education' of the moving actor. In this sense some teachers are developing deeper pedagogical relationships -as highlighted by van Manen (1997) -where the child does not get marginalised in the process of developing curriculum and pedagogical approaches consistent with subjective, intrinsic ways of knowing (Smith 1991). ...
At the heart of this book has been the acknowledgment that there exist different ways of seeing and, consequently, different ways of knowing the world. The rich and diverse case studies that make up Part II of the book have seen respected authors from the varied disciplines of physical, sport and health education, outdoor and environmental education and early childhood education come together, utilising the multi-disciplinary framework of socio-ecological education. They have done so because of their belief that a socio-ecological theory and requisite methodological approaches offer the opportunity for renewal for researchers and practitioners in their fields. A significant part of this renewal involves reaching beyond disciplinary boundaries, or silos as we called them in the introduction chapter, to forge new connections. Overcoming these 'invisible' structures that can govern how we see, think and act is central to the work of the socio-ecological educator and is evident in many of the case studies. To that end we want to spend a little time here, in the conclusion, discussing this issue. © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014. All rights are reserved.
... Importantly, respondents acknowledged their subjectivities: I was naturally inclined to experience joy when I was active, but most people weren't. (Female, experienced teacher) Further to this, teachers either individually or as a team sought to understand via mimesis (Smith 1991(Smith , 2007 what children who were fearful of physical education felt like and sensed in their lessons. They engaged in a range of activities, performing and participating in dance or singing, reflecting and thinking about their 'experiences' from a subjective stance. ...
... It is likely that some teachers and practitioners will be confronted by such ethnographies, but I feel that the significance of an individual's sensory 'scapes' (Sparkes 2009) gives example to a 'corporeal (re)turn' , where the embodied basis of meaning and meaning-making of deep, intrinsic, somaesthethic and subjective feelings as experienced by individuals through movement, contributes significantly to the 'education' of the moving actor. In this sense some teachers are developing deeper pedagogical relationships -as highlighted by van Manen (1997) -where the child does not get marginalised in the process of developing curriculum and pedagogical approaches consistent with subjective, intrinsic ways of knowing (Smith 1991). ...
In this first chapter we felt it important to introduce the editors of the book via a series of short autobiographical stories. In each case the author has chosen a few influential experiences that they believe have been crucial in shaping the development of their socio-ecological outlook as educators and researchers. In other words, in this first section of the book we are putting practical, lived experience prior to the theoretical explanation of what it means to be a socio-ecological educator. In this first chapter of Part I we want to lead with example and narrative. We then explore and reinforce the message with sound theoretical discussion of the crucial concepts that make up this unique perspective on educational philosophy and practice. In Part II of the book, different authors from a variety of backgrounds and work contexts explore socio-ecological ideas and practices via a range of case studies. Finally, in the conclusion chapter we summarise the book and reflect on the incorporation of a socio-ecological approach into educational and research settings. © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014. All rights are reserved.
... Es probable que por esta razón la EF mantenga un significado polisémico (Barbero 1998). En síntesis, al hablar de investigación en Educación Física su objeto de estudio puede ser interpretado de manera diferente (Smith 1991). En los últimos años, el movimiento humano ha sido estudiado en relación con el proceso educativo, esta sería una característica importante que marca la diferencia en temas de investigación en Educación Física frente a otras áreas del conocimiento (Pedraz,1988). ...
La investigación científica en el contexto de la Educación Física es un tema de gran interés. El objetivo fue sintetizar los elementos teóricos y metodológicos de la investigación científica en el contexto de la Educación Física ecuatoriana relacionados con las categorías: i) Metodologías activas para la educación física; ii) El Currículo de Educación Física y el Covid-19; iii) La Calidad de la Educación Física, publicados en los últimos cinco años. Se siguió una metodología de tipo descriptiva-analítica basada en la utilización de métodos teóricos y en la Revisión Sistemática de la Literatura, bajo los criterios de inclusión previamente definidos. Dentro de las bases de datos consultadas se encuentran: Scopus, latindex, Dialnet, Google Académico, las cuales permitieron identificar un total de 638 artículos, relacionados con el tema. 1.De la totalidad de investigaciones consultadas se seleccionaron 6, siendo estos considerados altamente potenciales para la investigación al cumplir con la totalidad de los criterios de inclusión determinados. 2. Se sistematiza la importancia de la investigación científica en el contexto de la Educación Física ecuatoriana, develándose la necesidad de continuar profundizando en ello para aportar soluciones concretas a los problemas concernientes a la Educación Física en Ecuador. 3. Se resalta la innovación, capacitación y creatividad docente como elementos fundamentales para la correcta contextualización de la enseñanza de la Educación Física según el perfil de salida del bachiller ecuatoriano. Existen un abordaje significativo en el contexto internacional y nacional en cuanto a las investigaciones científicas en Educación Física con enfoques y metodologías diversas desde el 2016 hasta la actualidad. En Ecuador se destaca que estos estudios responde a la transformación constante en el área, generada entre otros aspectos por la implementación del Currículo de Educación Física en 2016 lo que evidencia los avances logrados reafirmando la necesidad de continuar investigando en Educación Física.
... Como se analizará en los siguientes apartados, la orientación del estudio y análisis de la noción de cuerpo y motricidad va a configurar la significación que la Educación Física posee dentro del contexto científico. Esta aproximación conceptual de la Educación Física está estrechamente ligada a lo que constituye su objeto de estudio, que hoy en día supone un interesante debate epistemológico (Smith, 1991). ...
Resumen: La Educación Física es una disciplina cu-rricular que ha experimentado en los últi-mos años un gran impulso en el ámbito de la investigación. Su plena incorporación al contexto universitario ha contribuido en gran medida a este creciente desarrollo, que se ha visto marcado por la prolifera-ción de numerosas líneas de investigación. En el presente artículo establecemos un análisis de la producción científica y des-cripción de las principales líneas de inves-tigación que se configuran en la actuali-dad dentro de las áreas de conocimiento que definen a la Educación Física como disciplina científica. Abstract: Physical education is a curriculum dis-cipline which has recently experienced a launch in the research field. Its full in-corporation into the university curriculum context has contributed in great measure to such increase in its development, which has translated in the prolifaration of nume-rous lines of research. In the present article, we establish an analysis of the scientific production and description of the main re-search lines which are configurated now-days within the knowledge areas which define Physical Education as a scientific discipline.
... There has been an increase in ethical and methodological concerns about research involving child participants, mainly among health and educational researchers. For example, Flitner (1982), Miller (2000), and Smith (1991) respectively asked, Where is the child in educational theories, physical education research, and nursing? Hart and Chesson (1998) further questioned whether well-intentioned parents can provide a valid account of the child's lived experience. ...
The field of sport psychology has recently engaged scholars in a productive debate over ontological, epistemological, and methodological issues of research praxis (Giacobbi, Poczwardowski, & Hager, 2005; Krane & Baird, 2005; Ryba & Wright, 2005). With the intent to stimulate further methodological debates, this paper explores the possibility of developing clearer insight into the life-world of the child athlete by focusing on the utility of hermeneutic phenomenology. Phenomenology becomes hermeneutical when the transcendental theme of essences of human phenomena is replaced by the existential theme of understanding of what it feels like to be in the world (van Manen, 1997). Specifically an argument is made for the viability of phenomenological research with children and concrete suggestions are provided for conducting phenomenological interviews with young athletes. The paper is contextualized in the philosophy of existentialism and a phenomenological study of children's experience of enjoyment in figure skating.
... 345). By accepting the assumptions of this ideology teachers of physical education focus little attention on how the learner internalises their participation in classes or on the formation of long term attitudes, knowledges and values (Smith 1991). Such a perspective tends to overlook the potentialities of language interactions as a resource for learning. ...
Proposes a form of discourse analysis to link theory and practice in an account of effective practice in physical education. The analysis is applied to two lessons by preservice students who introduce more "considered, sensitive teaching" and focuses on the interactive patterns between participants as indicators of a framework for conceptualizing worthwhile new teaching and learning. (JB)
... 27). With the exception of the work ofSmith (1991Smith ( , 1998), Connolly (1995), and ...
The term pedagogy has become ubiquitous in the field of kinesiology, and sport pedagogy is now firmly established as a credible academic subdiscipline. Notwithstanding the fact that our European colleagues had been using the terms pedagogy and sport pedagogy for many years (see Crum, 1986; Haag, 2005), the English-speaking world of kinesiology has only relatively recently embraced the terms. Increased use, however, does not necessarily equate with coherent or shared understandings of what the terms mean. Accordingly, the purpose of this article is to do some "languaging" (Kirk, 1991; Postman, 1989) to shed some light on the meanings of pedagogy and sport pedagogy and in so doing perhaps stimulate further consideration of their use in kinesiology. I will argue for a notion of pedagogy that is generative in enabling us to think about the process of knowledge production and reproduction across the many subdisciplines of kinesiology, including, but not limited to, sport pedagogy. Finally I will consider the notion of pedagogical work as providing a useful concept for analyzing the contribution of sport pedagogy to understandings related to how we come to know about physical activity, the body, and health. © 2008 National Association for Kinesiology and Physical Education in Higher Education.
Physical literacy (PL), a concept commonly associated with the early years, physical education, and youth sport development, can become a meaningful determinant of health and longevity for the adult and older adult population. A review of 55 recent publications from 2018 to 2023 that encompassed physical literacy conceptual frameworks, assessments, and intervention-based studies was undertaken through an heuristic inspired by the philosophy which gave birth to PL. With particular interest in how PL has evolved in response to the needs of an aging population, this position paper tracks a key shift in focus from the individual to the relational context. It references positive interaction and social participation in recent models as significant features of an across-the-lifespan PL perspective.The concluding position is that fostering joyful inter-action be at the heart of PL promotion, resource development and assessment practices, especially in the case of an aging population.
This study investigated 10th-grade students' views concerning the physical effects of an adventure-physical education curriculum and the potential of such a curriculum to enhance components of a multidimensional model of physical self-concept. Semistructured interviews were used to obtain students' views and participant observations were conducted to corroborate those views. Open coding was used to analyze the data. Students viewed adventure activities as an alternative way to be physically active that was more fun and motivating than traditional forms of exercise. Students expressed how the adventure activities helped them build strength and endurance particularly in their arms and legs. Students felt seven components (body fat, coordination, endurance/fitness, flexibility, physical activity, sports competence, and strength) of physical self-concept were relevant to adventure-physical education and two components (appearance and health) were not. Implications for designing activities and employing teaching strategies to enhance the physical self-concept and fitness of young people are discussed.
The purpose of this chapter is to present findings from a research project that aimed to uncover teacher understandings and conceptions of children's subjective and 'intrinsic' movement experiences and associated meaning-making of such experiences within the context of school physical education. Subjective, 'intrinsic' meaning of movement experiences has not received due recognition within the physical education context. Movement is basic to bodily experiences and is at the core of the practice of physical education. A socio-ecological approach would suggest that to produce quality physical education, teachers need to understand and plan meaningful educational endeavours. Thus children's subjective intrinsic experiences will help them understand their feelings, sensory experiences and 'place in the world'. Eight specialist physical education teachers working in government secondary colleges were interviewed using semi-structured questions about their students' subjective movement experiences, the contribution of their teacher education program to their understanding of this, and how their curricula and teaching skills could be developed in this domain in the future. Analysis of the results has indicated that most physical education teachers interviewed have a global and superficial understanding and knowledge of the concepts related to children's subjective movement experiences, although their ability to articulate these is 'clouded' by dominant scientific expressions. Additionally, teachers intimated that their personal experiences in physical activities provided insight into how some groups 'felt' when participating in physical education. Implications for physical education teacher education (PETE) unit and program development are drawn, as well as suggestions for ongoing physical education professional learning opportunities. © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014. All rights are reserved.
Background: Pupils’ views have been elicited in physical education over a long period, but is a comparatively under-examined area within literature on gifted and talented (G&T) in physical education concerns pupil voice and their accounts of being placed on their schools’ G&T register.Purpose: This small-scale qualitative study consulted pupils in physical education about being on the G&T register, the demands of their academic work, academic support available to them, what could support them and their thoughts on post-16 and career aspirations. The findings emerged from a larger research project exploring key stakeholders’ views on provision for G&T pupils in physical education within an Excellence in Cities (EiC) cluster in rural eastern England.Participants, research design and data collection: Data for this study were collected within a 4-month period from four secondary schools, three of which formed part of an EiC cluster and included a Sports College. The fourth school, which was outside the EiC cluster, worked closely with the Sports College, linking its own G&T programme to the work already established at the Sports College. Thirty-one Year 10 and 11 pupils (17 male, 14 female) were selected by the schools from their G&T registers. Seven separate focus group interviews were held and pupils also completed a questionnaire.Findings: Common patterns were reported by pupils within and across the schools reflecting their positive perceptions of being on the G&T register for physical education. While pupils valued the schools’ nurturing of their abilities, the positive nurturing of talent was not always transferred to the nurturing of their academic potential. They felt they would benefit from more support for their academic needs, especially in managing their workloads. They expressed a tension between fulfilling their commitments to training and sport on the one hand and meeting the requirements of their academic work on the other. Support offered through individual mentoring was received positively. For most, however, mentoring was sparse and appeared to be an unstructured process. In addition, many pupils spoke of the toll their dedication to their sport took on their social lives. The majority of pupils expressed a desire to continue study beyond post-16 and several mentioned the aim of attending university.Conclusions: The need for personalised and tailored individual support to help pupils meet the demands of both academic and sporting commitments was articulated in this study. Implications from the findings also indicate that a Junior Athlete Education framework might be in place at some schools but it may not always be utilised effectively or meet the authentic needs of the pupils on the G&T register for physical education. As a consequence, unstructured and informal processes, as well as patchiness of support, have been seen to work against the effectiveness of G&T programmes. These findings reinforce previous research and add valuable insight in the form of pupils’ voices and experiences.
This paper proposes that socially critical work has, thus far, articulated a theoretical base for curriculum development and theorizing that is too narrow. First, a brief, selective overview of the history of socially critical work in physical education provides an outline of its achievements. Second, in addition to an ethic of justice and emancipation, which currently serves as the underlying moral basis for much socially critical theorizing, this paper proposes that an ethic of care and responsibility be included and given equal weight. In addition, socially critical work must pay more attention to how children learn, develop, and experience physical education. Finally, three programs are described to stimulate thinking about theory. These programs illustrate and provide precedents for aspects of the broader agenda proposed here.
Teaching athletes to improve their performance is the essence of sports coaching. In response to new government-led initiatives to invest in and develop coaching, this book is the first introduction to pedagogical theory for coaching. Bringing helpful insights from educational theory to bear on coaching practice, The Sports Coach as Educator expands and enriches the role of the coach and allows professionals to approach their work in new and inventive ways. Exploring the nature of coaching, this text covers: educational concepts in coaching, coaching, teaching and leadership, athletes' learning, coaching communities and the social process, reflective practice mentoring, developing expert coaches. © 2006 Robyn L. Jones for editorial matter and selection; individual chapters, the contributors. All rights reserved.
Current approaches to student skill learning have not specifically addressed the meaning of student experience within the situated context of the teaching/ learning environment. This paper advances the value of research on the student's subjective experience during the evolution of skill learning. Following an overview of conventional approaches, the advantages of an interpretive paradigm for the study of skill learning are presented. Although a number of analytic procedures may adequately render subjective experience, narrative is offered as a preferred tool for analyzing and interpreting this experience. Pertinent research questions on subjective experience are posed to expand our understanding of the multidimensional process of skill learning.
Professionals in kinesiology and sport psychology have a wonderful opportunity to foster children's social development because of the importance of sport as an achievement domain for children. Fear of failure (FF) represents one achievement-related construct associated with a number of negative outcomes both in and out of the physical activity arena. The present article has three purposes. First, the literature on fear of failure over the past half century is reviewed; a multidimensional model of FF appraisals is recommended for future consideration. Second, research on the development of FF is reviewed with an emphasis on three interpersonal paths of influence: (a) family structure and climate, (b) parental demands for independence and mastery, and (c) parent-child communications. Research findings are integrated with existing theory to synthesize an attachment-based interpretation of FF. Finally, specific directions for future science-practice efforts toward FF prevention and treatment are discussed. © 2001 National Association for Physical Education in Higher Education.
Recent attention has focused on the development of reflective teachers. Teacher educators have developed and used several reflective strategies, programs, and models to enhance preservice and in-service teachers' reflective abilities. The purpose of this article is to describe and comment on the different perspectives regarding theory and research on reflective teaching. This paper focused on three dimensions: (a) an account of the conceptual alternatives and theoretical traditions of reflection, (b) an overview of practical and empirical efforts on reflection in classroom and physical education settings, and (c) methodological issues and recommendations for future research.
My charge is to discuss the challenges and significant research questions for pedagogy. I believe the top challenges we face are to address inequitable opportunities to learn and participate in physical activities and to improve the quality of teachers and physical education, especially for those children and adolescents who feel alienated and disengaged. The most promising research agendas are (a) to design and research a variety of curriculum programs aimed at different age groups, cultural settings, subject matter, and curricular goals; (b) to study mechanisms for successful dissemination and long-term teacher adoption of field-tested curriculum; (c) to study programs that successfully produce graduates who value diversity, resist socialization, and are well-prepared to work with diverse populations in urban environments; and (d) to study what undergraduates actually learn in their coursework, how they transfer that knowledge to practice, and how their practice impacts student learning and engagement in physical activity. (Contains 2 tables.)
Across the full range of human movement studies and their many sub-disciplines, established institutional practices and forms of pedagogy are used to (re)produce valued knowledge about human movement. Pedagogy and Human Movement explores this pedagogy in detail to reveal its applications and meanings within individual fields. This unique book examines the epistemological assumptions underlying each of these pedagogical systems, and their successes and limitations as ways of (re)producing knowledge related to physical activity, the body, and health. It also considers how the pedagogical discourses and devices employed influence the ways of thinking, practice, dispositions and identities of those who work in the fields of sport, exercise and other human movement fields. With a scope that includes physical education, exercise and sports science, sports sociology and cultural studies, kinesiology, health promotion, human performance and dance, amongst other subjects, Pedagogy and Human Movement is the most comprehensive study of pedagogical cultures in human movement currently available. It is an invaluable resource for anybody with an interest in human movement studies.
The current crisis in societal obesity and other inactivity-related chronic health disorders has become a widespread concern in the United States. Physical Education (PE) with its propensity for physical activity has the potential to provide solutions to many chronic health issues. However, a large body of literature suggests that generations of students have been "turned off' to lifelong physical activity because of negative experiences in traditional PE classes. A more student-centered approach may be needed to ensure that all students have an opportunity to lead a healthy, physical life. The purpose of this research study was to determine the effect of a semester-long empathy-focused educational intervention on empathy levels in 59 college-level students studying in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) Programs at three East-coast universities. A quantitative pre-post quasi-experimental design with control groups was used to measure changes in pre-existing empathy levels among participants. Subjects were given the Davis Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) empathy scale and a reflective essay assignment. Experimental groups participated in a curricular intervention involving an emphasis on empathy and affective educational practices. ANCOVA results revealed statistically significant findings in "Higher Order" empathy levels in the experimental groups, F (1, 49) = 4.36, p = .04. Analysis of reflective essays also suggested a change in experimental group subjects' personal view of PE toward an empathetic approach. Study strengths, weaknesses, and implications for future research and practice are discussed.
There has been growing advocacy for an inquiry-oriented approach to teacher education in the wake of developments in educational practice and theory, particularly through the action-research movement and critical curriculum inquiry. The inquiry-oriented approach argues that teacher education cannot be neutral, but must instead acknowledge the inherently political and ethical dimensions of the teaching act. This paper addresses the problem of developing a program for an inquiry-oriented approach and suggests that teacher education must focus on knowledge that begins with, and supports, the teaching act and portrays teacher education as a process of critical reflection on the teaching act itself.
Recent years have seen an increase in the amount of research activity devoted to teaching in physical education. The result of these efforts has been a substantial growth in the body of knowledge regarding movement pedagogy. Most of these undertakings have been completed with the natural science mode of inquiry as the research model. Thus, the natural science research paradigm has emerged as the dominant mode of inquiry and analysis for research on teaching in physical education. In spite of the major contributions made in the engagement of the natural science model, the subscription to a dominant mode of inquiry holds serious consequences in the development of any body of knowledge. The underlying assumptions of a paradigm pose limits to the knowledge to which one has access. Therefore, this paper offers an analysis of the assumptions embedded in the operationalization of the natural science research paradigm in order to illuminate their limitations for research on teaching in physical education. The assumptions of an alternative, qualitative paradigm are also identified and discussed in terms of their potential for researching beyond the limits of the natural science model. It was not the intent of this paper to declare one paradigm superior to any other, but rather to recognize the need for alternative perspectives in researching the phenomenon of teaching physical education.
As long as we see the actions of little children through the models of our shared adult conventionality, we are not likely to see the world as chil dren, in their own uniqueness, see it. (Beekman, 1983, p. 40) How are we adults able to understand our children adequately, how they perceive the world, which problems they have with themselves and with us adults, how they come to terms with the tasks and demands we set them, and so forth? The Child Within Us as a Way to the Child Before Us Is it possible for us to adopt the perspective of children simply through understanding our own selves, by imaginatively recon structing our own childhood? This approach has a number of basic difficulties. The child who appears in the reminiscences of the adult and who he once was, is and remains the remembered child, and as such is bound inextricably to the perspective of the person remem bering in the present. Due to the coherence of time the structure of which Merleau-Ponty called "transitional synthesis," the binding of past and future in the presence field of present (Merleau-Ponty, 1966, p. 416), our past is conveyed via the present. Nevertheless, our original childhood remains lost to us forever. We are not the child we remember; our past does not enter into the present of the one who remembers as the original presence but as the past mediated by the momentary present. It is the child of the remembering adult, therefore, to a certain extent, a different child from the original. It takes the same road to adulthood and treads the same tortuous paths of education on which it will not remain what it once was. The state of affairs is paradoxical: That which was originally and directly familiar to us, in other words the child as we existed, becomes, in a specific way, foreign to us.
Anecdote as a Methodological Device In 1983, when the Dutch author Lize Stilma was invited to pub lish some of her wonderfully evocative narratives in Phenorne nology + Pedagogy, she was pleased that the journal would translate and publish her stories. However, she did not like the suggestion that her stories would be gathered in a section under the title "Anecdotes." Although she did not say as much, the word anecdote seemed perhaps too plain, too everyday, too ver nacular, too low-bred, too mundane. Anecdote is not a common ly accepted form of literary expression. Among authors, the notion of anecdote generally receives low status. In the be havioral social sciences, too, the employment of anecdote is avoided or frowned on. For behavioral scientists, the presence of anecdotes in research reports may indicate possible flaws in the evidential basis of scientific reasoning. But this poor status of anecdote may be undeserving. It is worth noting that in everyday life the anecdote is probably the most common device by which people talk about their experiences. When teachers speak of their daily practice, they tend to do so at the hand of anecdotes. I am tempted to suggest that among teachers, and also among parents, anecdote is the natural way by which particular concerns of educating and living with child ren are brought to awareness. Better yet, anecdotal narrative allows the person to reflect in a concrete way on experience and thus appropriate that experience. To anecdote is to reflect, to think. Anecdotes form part of the grammar of everyday theoriz ing. In a reflective grasping, anecdotes recreate experience but in a transcended (focused, condensed, intensified, oriented, and narrative) form. Thus the act of anecdoting as concrete reflect ing prepares the space for hermeneutic phenomenological re flection and understanding.
This paper describes a loose coalition of ideas that form an alternative perspective to the dominant research and development work currently being conducted in physical education pedagogy. It is argued that the profession will be best served if both perspectives better understand and share their assumptions, and especially if they recognize the subjective nature of their work.
The contention of this paper is that the claim of compatibility and the call for cooperation between quantitative and qualitative inquiry cannot be sustained. Moreover, these claims have the unfortunate effect of closing down an important conversation. To elaborate these points, this paper briefly reviews the transition from conflict to cooperation between the two perspectives and then notes how compatibility is based on a confusion over two different definitions of method. Finally, the discussion focuses on why this conversation, because it invokes issues crucial to our understanding of who we are and what we do as inquirers, must be reinvigorated.
Metzler describes the theoretical bases and a general model for integrating teacher effectiveness research with sys tematic observation to evaluate physical education teaching. The ability to de lineate desirable teaching skills and to monitor preservice teachers' acquisition of those skills represents a new potential for improving theteaching of motor play and fitness. The author argues against holding physical educators accountable for student achievement until some per vasive instructional constraints are eased. The suggestion is made, how ever, that physical educators should be able to "account for" their pedagogical practices.
Researchers who study the teaching of physical education have examined teacher and student behavior using sys tematic observation, teacher feedback to students, the application of principles of motor learning and, more recently, task analysis and the qualitative paradigm. Although research has had limited im pact on the teaching of physical educa tion in the schools to date, Placek and Locke suggest that cautious optimism is now in order due to newly acquired knowledge and a new generation of teacher educators.
As part of their quest to secure academic credibility, physical educators in Australia, Canada, Britain, and the United States have increasingly privileged empirical–analytical forms of research. We argue that this strategy has resulted in a montage of professional values and practices that we term technocratic physical education (TPE). We contend that TPE is based on ideologies of professionalism, scientism, and instrumental rationality, which articulate one-dimensional definitions of excellence in teaching, the body, and sport and also marginalize issues related to political and moral ends. By drawing on the traditions of critical pedagogy and reflective teaching, we suggest some ways in which the limits of TPE can be transcended in pre- and inservice teacher education curricula.
This paper reviews the current research on teacher effectiveness as it applies to physical education in the areas of (a) teacher expectations, (b) classroom management and organization, (c) a supportive learning environment, (d) active teaching, task-oriented, or direct instruction, (e) curriculum pacing, (f) student opportunity to learn, including allocated, engaged, and academic learning time, (g) teaching to mastery, and (h) grade-level differences. Some problems in applying the research to actual school situations are presented, along with implications for physical education.
Sport pedagogy research is yielding an increasing amount of information. However, there is a difference between mere information and research based knowledge, which may guide and improve practice. If more useful knowledge is to result from research, then several related adjustments in sport pedagogy’s knowledge system are required. Such adjustments begin with researchers’ reasons for doing research and include adjustments in today’s approaches to organizing, communicating, and applying research findings. Additionally, increases in the production and use of knowledge may be facilitated by political activity that is aimed at gaining more consensus among physical education professionals and, in turn, more uniformity among programs and teaching practices.
When comparing research strategies in physical education, it serves no purpose to characterize the quantitative approach as contrived, unnatural, rigid, ahistorical, and simplistic while describing the qualitative approach as natural, responsive, context-relevant, flexible, and complex. What is needed is dialogue regarding similarities and differences without denying the validity of either. (CB)
In this paper I argue that there is currently an orthodoxy in RT-PE that is unable, through its present epistemologies and methods, to make a major impact on curriculum practice. Three particular issues are highlighted as problematic: strategies for change adopted within the orthodoxy, who has the power to define and legitimate the research agenda, and an apolitical view of change. In presenting an alternative view of how we might close the research/practice gap in RT-PE, I suggest that researchers must develop more democratic approaches to working with teachers, for example along the lines of the teacher-as-researcher movement rather than on them. I also argue that in order to do this, we must develop more appropriate research epistemologies and methodologies. Finally, these two developments must be framed within a more sophisticated and systematically developed understanding of the social change process, and of the political nature of our attempts as educators to bring about change.
- Metzler M. W.
Educational research and practice in a postmodern era
- P Lather
Risk and the playground
- S J Smith
Teaching children to take risks on the playground. Paper presented at the 8th International Human Science Research Conference
- S J Smith
The hidden curriculum of pedagogical research in physical education
- S J Smith