A comparative analysis of discourses shaping physical education provision within and across the UK

Abstract

Set within the context of a longitudinal project that seeks to engage physical education teachers from the four countries of the UK in cross-border curriculum analysis, dialogue and learning, the current study lays the foundation by mapping and comparing curriculum discourses that currently shape how physical education is conceptualised in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. As a team of researchers with affiliations to each of the four nations of the UK, we identified those curriculum documents from each context that were written to directly inform physical education teachers’ curriculum planning and enactment. We firstly identified those discourses evident in each document to understand how physical education is conceptualised within each curriculum, before engaging in a dialogical process that converged around how physical education is constructed similarly or differently within and across curricula. We found some variation in relation to how the concept of health is articulated. With the exception of the curriculum in Wales, we also found that performance discourses related to developing motor competencies for sports continue to dominate as the main purpose of physical education. Finally, there are several points of divergence in relation to how much agency or guidance teachers are afforded within each curriculum. The intention of this research is to initiate dialogue across each of the four nations, creating opportunities for learning so that, collectively, teachers can build capacity to contribute to future curricula and pedagogies in physical education.

A health(y) subject? Examining discourses of health in physical education curricula across the UK

“…Although it is important to recognise and acknowledge the broader political context of the curricula that were the focus of this study, it is beyond the scope of this paper to explore this more fully. However, an in-depth discussion of the issues associated with this is provided elsewhere (see Gray et al, 2021) and-for those less familiar with the landscape of PE curricula in the UK-a brief overview of each context can be found in Appendix A. We now provide an outline of the methodological process followed in this study, beginning with a discussion of critical discourse analysis.…”

“…However, the numerous and complex ways in which health is conceptualised can make curriculum writing, interpretation and enactment challenging. This complexity was highlighted in our analysis of the UK PE curriculum documents, where multiple and shifting discourses were evidenced both within and across contexts (Gray et al, 2021). Thus, a more critical analysis of the health discourses within UK PE curricula is warranted to interrogate those discourses and consider what influence they might have on teacher and pupil subjectivities and practices.…”

“…From this perspective, the learner is positioned at the centre of the learning process, developing twenty-firstcentury skills and competencies for citizenship, thus ensuring economic development and national competitiveness (Sinnema et al, 2020). This was seen in our aforementioned 'mapping' research (Gray et al, 2021), where UK curriculum discourses linked PE with a public health agenda to promote active lifestyles (and thus ensure a healthy and productive labour force). Priestley (2011) suggests that this is indicative of neoliberalism adopting the language of education while maintaining 'technical-instrumental' goals (p. 224).…”

“…However, in both Scotland and Wales, we also found evidence of two further discourses, a public health discourse related to, for example, promoting and monitoring physical activity for health, and a 'health as citizenship' discourse. Varied conceptualisations of health were also apparent in Northern Ireland, while in England, reference to health was very limited, focusing mainly on a public health discourse (Gray et al, 2021).…”

“…As a result, the curricula in Scotland and Wales present ‘health’ as a holistic concept, reflected in the curriculum area of Health and Wellbeing, and incorporating social, emotional, mental and physical learning and development. This holistic conceptualisation of health was highlighted in a recent study we carried out to identify and ‘map’ the discourses central to how PE is conceptualised within the PE curricula across the four home nations of the UK (Gray et al, 2021). However, in both Scotland and Wales, we also found evidence of two further discourses, a public health discourse related to, for example, promoting and monitoring physical activity for health, and a ‘health as citizenship’ discourse.…”