Teachers as frontline agents of integration: Finnish physical education students’ reflections on intercultural encounters

Anttila, Eeva; Siljamäki, Mariana; Rowe, Nicholas

doi:10.1080/17408989.2018.1485141

Cited by 30 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Consequently, 'teachers are still struggling to find ways to implement culturally responsive pedagogy into their physical education classes to meet the needs of diverse learners' (Columna, Foley, & Lytle, 2010, p. 309). Thus, some scholars advocate the need for physical education teacher education (PETE) students to develop their intercultural sensitivity in their preparation for future encounters with pupils from different cultures (Anttila, Siljamäki, & Rowe, 2018;Burden, Hodge, O'Bryant, & Harrison, 2004;Grimminger, 2008Grimminger, , 2011Grimminger-Seidensticker & Möhwald, 2017).…”

Section: Zooming In On Pementioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting integration through physical education (?)

Tolgfors

2019

Sport, Education and Society

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A common problem in contemporary western societies is segregation, which is also reflected in schools. The point of departure for this study is a political initiative in Sweden, where pupils are being transported by bus from a suburb to different schools in the city with the aim of promoting integration and improved performance results. The study focuses on the teaching practice of Physical Education (PE) at one of the schools where 'the bus for inclusion' stops every morning. The research question concerns how 'the political action' of the bussing project is 'acted upon' in the subject of PE. The purpose is to explore what becomes of this particular PE practice, in terms of rationalities encompassing a PE teacher's pedagogical actions and the pupils' ways of acting on them. The data, gathered through extensive fieldwork, including lesson observations and interviews, is analysed from a governmentality perspective [Foucault, 1978/1994. Governmentality. In Power (pp. 201-222). New York: The New Press]. The findings highlight three underlying rationalities in regards to integration, aiming at promoting intercultural encounters, collaboration and mutual respect. These rationalities, manifested through the PE teacher's pedagogical actions, offer guidance for the pupil seen as 'a subject seeking to construct himself or herself' [Wieviorka 2014. A critique of integration. Identities, 21(6), 633-641, 636-637]. In case of compliance, the notion of 'us and them' is countered and a shared experience of belonging is achieved through teamwork and self-regulation. In case of resistance, segregation is maintained in the school community as well as in society as a whole. This study does not contribute any incontestable evidence of social inclusion through PE [cf. Bailey, 2005. Evaluating the relationship between physical education, sport and social inclusion. Educational Review, 57(1), 71-90; Dagkas, 2018. Is social inclusion through PE, sport and PA still a rhetoric? Evaluating the relationship between physical education, sport and social inclusion. Educational Review, 70(1), 67-74]. However, the findings indicate that 'action upon action' in a culturally heterogeneous PE practice makes a difference insofar as integration is understood as a process of subjectivation [Wieviorka 2014. A critique of integration. Identities, 21(6), 633-641]. Depending on the direction of the PE teacher's guidance, the process might tend towards either cultural assimilation or pluralistic integration [Grimminger, 2008. Promoting intercultural competence in the continuing education of physical education teachers. Sport-Integration-Europe, 310-320].

show abstract

Section: Zooming In On Pementioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting integration through physical education (?)

Tolgfors

2019

Sport, Education and Society

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…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).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, research has indicated that PE's perceived role in social inclusion in increasingly diverse societies is taken for granted (Anttila et al, 2018;Barker et al, 2017;Goodyear et al, 2014). Yet, studies have indicated that social relations in PE are formed by hierarchical power relations, positioning students based on their gender, ethnicity, race, social class, and other markers of difference (Hill and Azzarito, 2012;Hills, 2007Hills, , 2010With-Nielsen and Pfister, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Thorjussen

2020

European Physical Education Review

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Within increasingly diverse societies, school is considered an important arena for social inclusion, as it ensures that all students can participate in social life within and outside the class. The Norwegian national curriculum emphasizes physical education (PE) as a particularly relevant subject for social inclusion, yet studies have revealed that some students experience discrimination and marginalization in PE because of their ethnicity, race, religion, social class, sexuality, and/or gender. This paper aims to examine how female students’ diverse backgrounds influence their positioning among classmates and to investigate how inclusion and exclusion in PE can be understood in light of social relations in multi-ethnic classes. The article is based on an intersectional perspective. The data consist of written fieldnotes and semi-structured interviews from ethnographic fieldwork in two coeducational, multi-ethnic PE classes at a public school in Oslo, Norway. Three female students’ narratives are discussed. The findings reveal that gender was the most significant factor in the girls’ stories of inclusion and exclusion in PE. With regard to ethnic relations, the narratives show that ethnicity intersected with gender, social class, religion, and race, creating hierarchical boundaries in the peer group. However, these boundaries were less prevalent in the girls’ PE experiences. The findings indicate that gender overshadows other differences in PE, making it difficult to see how exclusion is also clustered around other parts of students’ positionalities.

show abstract

“…Consequently, PE teachers have a special opportunity to support students from refugee backgrounds in discovering their sport-related interests and to encourage them to deepen these interests beyond school, in line with PE curricula that formulate the goal of lifelong physical activity and health (Conference of Ministers of Education Cultural Affairs, 2005 ). However, this can only succeed if PE teachers, who are usually part of the majority culture and thus occupy privileged social positions (Anttila et al, 2018 ), meet students from refugee backgrounds without prejudice and give them the opportunity to develop freely. Such an unbiased encounter can be hindered by the likelihood that many students from refugee backgrounds have little experience with sports, are not familiar with Western sports culture, or have not received any education in sports in their home country (Doherty and Taylor, 2007 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intersections of Forced Migration and Gender in Physical Education

Bartsch

Rulofs

2020

Front. Sociol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Rising refugee movements have affected global society in general and the social system of sports in particular. The main structures and discourses of the sports system are also reflected in physical education (PE) at schools, which can, therefore, be regarded as an integral part of it. PE can play a significant role in the sports biographies of young people from refugee backgrounds. It is the only organizational framework of sports that all children and adolescents experience, and for many young people from refugee backgrounds it is the first and sometimes the only context in which they come into contact with sports in the host country. Consequently, PE teachers have a special opportunity to support students from refugee backgrounds in discovering their sports-related interests and to encourage them to deepen these interests outside school. Research suggests that teachers interact with learners from refugee backgrounds with stereotypical expectations for how they should behave and act. These expectations are structured along genderspecific logics, with male persons from refugee backgrounds often being classified as violent and threatening and female individuals from refugee backgrounds as fragile and oppressed. Against this background, through an interview study with 31 PE teachers from schools in Germany, we investigate teachers' perspectives on young people from refugee backgrounds. Specifically, we examine which intertwined gendered and racialized patterns of perception and interpretation become apparent when PE teachers talk about this group of students. Constructivist, intersectional, and postcolonial approaches are used to analyze the interviews and answer the research questions. The analytical screening of the interviews reveals that gendered and racialized perceptions of threat and vulnerability dominate the teachers' mindsets. Four main patterns that follow these gendered and racialized thoughts can be detected in the data material: victimization and vulnerabilization, notions of threat and impulsivity, claims for assimilation and normalization, and demands for discipline. These perceptions can influence the developmental opportunities of students from refugee backgrounds and reduce their participation and involvement in school sports and out-of-school sports contexts. Based on these results, we discuss strategies that might support (future) teachers in breaking stereotypes and overcoming narrow perceptions of young people from refugee backgrounds.

show abstract

Teachers as frontline agents of integration: Finnish physical education students’ reflections on intercultural encounters

Cited by 30 publications

References 29 publications

Promoting integration through physical education (?)

Promoting integration through physical education (?)

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

Intersections of Forced Migration and Gender in Physical Education

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About