This review aims to collate and organize the current literature base on the use of participatory research methods within Covid-19 and pandemic contexts. Participatory approaches rely on establishing trust and rapport between researchers and participants and advocate actively involving participants in the planning, implementation and evaluation of a research issue. However, by transitioning such approaches to an online and geographically distributed context, the openness and equitability of participatory approaches may be reduced or lost. By providing an overview of current empirical and guidance literature on the use of participatory approaches within the context of Covid-19, this review not only offers a basis for how a variety of methods may be used and adapted to distanced contexts, but also explicates the challenges associated with the use of these methods and the wider methodological implications posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Furthermore, this review outlines the issues associated with conducting this type of research more generally, providing implications for how distance-based participatory methods may be used in wider contexts where face-to-face interaction may not be appropriate, or fieldwork may be disrupted due to logistical reasons.

Flipped learning (FL) is a pedagogical approach that has scarcely been examined in physical education (PE). As a result, we have little information regarding what PE teachers think of the approach, how they apply it, or what perceived value it has for their teaching. This research explores the reasons which two UK-based PE teachers gave for why and how they used FL to complement their use of digital technology (DigiTech). Their experiences and views are explored through a case study/appreciative inquiry approach. Data were generated from: (a) interviews with the teachers; (b) lesson observations and field notes and (c) document analysis, all of which were analysed using grounded theory. The findings showed that each teacher used FL and DigiTech in nuanced ways to support their teaching. Despite personal differences, FL was established by both teachers as a consistent routine of practice to support the use of DigiTech. The teachers’ rationales for using FL hinged on their belief that: (a) it optimised the lesson time in which students could be physically active and (b) it supported their examination PE students. Overall, the results indicated that, when used in conjunction with DigiTech, FL has the potential to pedagogically support teachers’ teaching of PE. This is particularly pertinent given the limited time allocated in the curriculum to PE (some of which is inevitably lost in the changing rooms) and the perceived need for students to be physically active in lessons.

This article addresses the challenge of promoting physical activity through a focus on equity and engaging physically inactive citizens through the development of inclusive strategies within parkrun UK—a free, volunteer-led, weekly mass community participation running event. We discuss how a UK-based action research design enabled collaboration with volunteer event organizers to understand participant experiences, constraints and develop localized inclusive practices. In contrast with ‘expert’-driven health behaviour interventions, our research pursued a ‘ground up’ approach by asking what can be learnt from the successes and challenges of organizing community events, such as parkrun UK, to promote inclusion? A modified participatory action research approach was used with four parkrun sites across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, that involved quantitative and qualitative analysis of survey data (n = 655) that informed the process. Our analysis explored parkrunners’ and volunteer organizers’ perceptions relating to (i) the demographics of parkrun participation and (ii) actions for change in relation to the challenges of engaging marginalized groups (women, ethnic minorities, low income, older people, those with disabilities or illness). We discuss the challenges and opportunities for addressing (in)equity and inclusion through volunteer-based organizations and the implications for translating knowledge into organizational strategies.

Background: Higher education (HE) physical education (PE) can provide opportunities for students to develop meaning(s) and values towards movement experiences. However, it is an under researched area in the educational sphere and little is known about what or how students find, meaningful movement. While there has been increasing interest in the features of meaningful PE, few studies have explored how they relate to students' experiences of movement in the context of HE or indeed the meaning held for certain features such as 'fun'. In seeking to address this gap, the purpose of this article was to explore what university students found meaningful in PE. Method:Using data from a larger digital ethnographic study, this research featured six students studying a university PE class taught by an educator with a sociocultural perspective towards education and movement. Digital video narratives and reflective essays served as qualitative data and were analysed using collaborative thematic analysis.Findings: Four themes are described in relation to students' meaningful experiences. These are (a) meaningful PE is fun and contains elements of delight, (b) meaningful PE is a combination of fun and challenge (c) meaningful PE develops motor competency in personally relevant areas, and (d) meaningful PE is a social and personally relevant experience. Our findings demonstrated the interlinking nature of meaningful PE features and, specifically, how they are embodied by higher education students. Conclusion:We argue that students can have meaningful PE experiences, even when educators do not plan for them. Furthermore, the features of meaningful PE, particularly in relation to 'fun' can extend to university settings. Moreover, sociocultural educators with a clear vision for classes can contribute to students developing foundational beliefs towards movement. This is exhibited through employing democratic pedagogies such as high levels of reflection and goal setting.

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Appreciative inquiry for physical education and sport pedagogy research: a methodological illustration through teachers' uses of digital technology.

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Digital technology and its use within democratic pedagogy has been an under-researched area in physical education (PE) and higher education (HE). Furthermore, we know little about how democratic assessment methods are experienced by students in HE. As such, this article explores student perceptions and experiences of democratic assessment practices through video narratives in HE PE and how these video narratives allowed students to demonstrate their learning. Using student responses from an e-questionnaire, the findings discuss how the video narratives elevate students' self-awareness, generate emotive and affective responses, elicit performative acts and provide an authentic assessment experience. In particular, the consideration of a student's environment is presented as a novel finding in comparison to previous literature. The authors discuss these findings in relation to teachers' democratic practices and video narratives as a vehicle for supporting authentic assessment experiences.