Inclusion and exclusion in multi-ethnic physical education: an intersectional perspective

Abstract

Current educational policies on inclusion emphasise viewing ethnically diverse populations as a resource, yet scholars have pointed out that the Norwegian school system seems to value diversity to an only limited extent. This critique applies to physical education (PE) in Western countries. In this article, based on students' stories from a multi-ethnic PE context, an intersectional perspective is used to investigate how processes of inclusion and exclusion are revealed. Data consist of semi-structured interviews with 17 students of diverse backgrounds and fieldnotes from observation in 56 PE lessons. Three questions are addressed: How are students' cultural backgrounds acknowledged by teachers and students in a PE class? How are aspects of culture and ethnicity present in the activities being taught? How are aspects of race, ethnicity, and culture reflected in the communication in two multi-ethnic PE classes? The findings indicate that knowledge of students' cultural backgrounds is not considered important for PE and that taught activities silently reflect a taken-for-granted majority culture. This paper makes some reflections on the implications of those findings.

Social inclusion in multi-ethnic physical education classes: Contextualized understandings of how social relations influence female students’ experiences of inclusion and exclusion

“…Although I agree that gender relations are central to students’ PE experiences, complex analyses are needed to reveal how other markers of difference operate in PE. That ethnicity appears to be absent from the girls’ PE experiences might be a sign that ethnic, cultural, or religious identities are not considered important in PE; hence, they are neither recognized as a recourse (Thorjussen and Sisjord, 2020) nor viewed in terms of how they might create lines of exclusion or tension among students of diverse backgrounds (Thorjussen and Sisjord, 2018). This interpretation reflects that PE is taken for granted as an arena for social inclusion and integration in diverse societies (Anttila et al, 2018; Barker et al, 2017; Goodyear et al, 2014).…”

Structural Discrimination in Physical Education. The “Encounter” Between the (White) Norwegian Teaching Content in Physical Education Lessons and Female Students of Color's Movements and Expressions

“…In his/her dialogue with the researchers, the educator stated: “I don't think we should stop having a ski day, just because some students don't like the idea of it and think it's difficult.” In this situation, the educator, who was white and ethnically Norwegian, found it difficult to problematize or think critically about his/her own knowledge, and experience of skiing (although there might be good reasons to have a mandatory ski day, the educator's response seems more like a knee-jerk defense of traditional values than a thoughtful consideration of the student's perspective). The educator chose to normalize the assigned activity, thereby positioning students who lack prior experience as the “problem.” In their analyses, Flintoff and Dowling ( 2019 ) position the African student as a “body out of place.” Thorjussen and Sisjord ( 2020 , 58), explain that the idea of “our” shared physical culture “largely reflect(s) Western 4 discourses around sport, fitness, and health.” This is apparent in Norwegian PE teaching practice, where teacher's choices of activities tend to be a direct reflection of the majority culture. Activities like baseball or cricket, which many students of color have prior experience with and would like to play, are neglected in PE class.…”

“…Activities like baseball or cricket, which many students of color have prior experience with and would like to play, are neglected in PE class. Thorjussen and Sisjord ( 2020 ) argue that this is a result of the teacher's tendency to orient their pedagogical approach toward activities that they uncritically accept as part of “our” shared knowledge. Consequently, in their study, Thorjussen and Sisjord conclude that non-Western movement cultures are marginalized and excluded in PE.…”

Intersections of Forced Migration and Gender in Physical Education

“…Today, many researchers agree that race and gender are inextricably linked and that it is important to consider the intersectional perspective in order to understand how opportunities for participation in PE are structured (Dagkas and Hunter, 2015 ). Various studies based on the intersectionality approach have shown how current power relations in PE are framed by Eurocentric thinking and how this leads to the exclusion of certain groups of young people on the basis of their gender and their religious, ethnic, and/or cultural backgrounds (Flintoff, 2015 ; Azzarito, 2016 ; van Doodewaard and Knoppers, 2016 ; Thorjussen and Sisjord, 2018 , 2020 ). This goes hand in hand with the findings on out-of-school sports and indicates that the privileged treatment of certain groups in out-of-school sports is thus already initiated or at least consolidated in PE.…”