The challenges of widening ‘legitimate’ understandings of ability within physical education

Abstract

This article explores the importance of critical discourse in physical education (PE) that focuses on how understandings of ability are defined, practised, and potentially altered. Research continues to indicate that physical educators continue to draw on narrow notions of ability which are influenced by the presence of a pervasive performative culture. Traditional understandings of ability often fail to reflect the wider aims of PE such as developing young people's physical literacy. The theoretical concepts of Bourdieu have been used to explain processes that serve to reinforce 'legitimate' notions of ability. The significance of the field of PE has been highlighted where habitus and capital inform understandings of ability in PE, and reinforce practices that privilege certain students. The data for this article are based on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with six PE teachers who were part of a yearlong study on young people's experiences of ability in secondary PE in England. Within interviews PE teachers defined ability in broad terms and differentiated between the purpose of PE and sport. In practice, teachers placed a distinct emphasis on defining ability in terms which privileged students who either had a reputation for sporting excellence or who demonstrated desired forms of sport-related physical capital in lessons. These discourses and practices were reinforced through individual habitus and through a sense of shared 'mastery of the common code' among the teachers. The findings have implications for understanding the tensions within the field of PE that have evolved from previous, and continuing, debates on the distinction between PE and sport and understandings of the purpose of PE. In addition, they highlight the challenges that teachers can experience in aligning their wider views of ability with their 'legitimate' ability-based practices and working towards supporting more equitable and inclusive PE experiences.

Adolescent constructions of gendered identities: the role of sport and (physical) education

“…Furthermore, Scraton's (1992), now classic study, showed how girls are marginalised in the field of PE, whereby sport and PE are often seen as incongruent with the female/feminine identity. More recent research has demonstrated that the tendency for young women to disengage with PE continues (Berg & Lahelma, 2010;Croston & Hills, 2017;Fagrell et al, 2012;Mitchell, Inchley, Fleming, & Currie, 2015;Scraton, 2018). These examples illustrate how most gender and PE research is based on the experiences of either females, or males (e.g.…”

Exploring the educational landscape of juggling – challenging notions of ability in physical education

“…Our aim in investigating what movement capability can mean is an attempt to provide alternative ways of conceiving ability and thereby provide enhanced possibilities to make a difference for students' abilities through education. By doing this we follow up Evans' call for a discussion about the educational aim with the subject PE and an alternative view of ability, which still appears relevant a decade and a half later (Croston and Hills 2017;Quennerstedt 2019). There is, as Evans puts it, a need to be concerned about, discuss, identify and nurture the 'physical' dimension of ability in PE (Evans 2004, 100) if the subject claims to be of educational value.…”

“…Additionally, it is difficult to articulate the kind of practical knowledge (Polanyi 1969;Nyberg and Larsson 2014) involved in movement capability. Regardless of reason, we argue that Evans' analysis of physical education's expected educational mission is still relevant in many countries (Croston and Hills 2017;Quennerstedt 2019).…”

“…Research on physical education (PE) shows a prevalence of narrow and reductionist views on what counts as ability (Croston and Hills 2017;Kirk 2010;Larsson and Quennerstedt 2012;Larsson and Nyberg 2016;Tinning 2010). Narrow and reductionist views typically center on performances in specific activities, often derived from sport and exercise contexts, which are usually measured and valued in relation to explicit or implicit standards of excellence.…”

Are Physical Education Lessons Suitable for Sport Talent Identification? A Systematic Review of the Literature

“…However, research into this topic has faced several difficulties [1] which currently remain. These difficulties lies in the ambiguity of the concept of sport talent [2] and the criteria commonly used for identification [3,4]. Research has been conducted in two directions: top-down and bottom-up.…”