Caring teaching and the complexity of building good relationships as pedagogies for social justice in health and physical education

Abstract

The Health and Physical Education (HPE) profession has increasingly advocated for caring teacher-student relationships. In this paper, we draw on data from an international research project called 'EDUHEALTH' [Education for Equitable Health Outcomes -The Promise of School Health and Physical Education] to explore caring teaching and the complexity of building good relationships as pedagogies for social justice in HPE. The data reported on in this paper were generated through 20 HPE lesson observations and interviews with 13 HPE teachers across schools in Sweden, Norway and New Zealand. In our analysis of the data, we employed Nel Noddings 'Care Theory' [(1984. Caring, a feminine approach to ethics & moral education. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press; 1997). Pedagogisk filosofi [Philosophy of education]. Oslo: Ad Notam Gyldendal] to study the constitution of relationships and caring teaching in HPE practice. The findings demonstrate that caring teaching is inevitably built on developing good relationships, and that developing such good relationships is a complex process influenced by three key elements. First, teachers have to develop knowledge about their students on a societal, group and personal level; second, teachers have to reflect on the individual, environmental and relational aspects required for building good relationships; and third, teachers have to implement caring teaching strategies, such as planning, caring actions and doing 'the little things'. Drawing on Nodding's care theory, we conclude that pedagogies for social justice are enacted when teachers use their own knowledge and knowledge about the students, together with reflection and caring teaching strategies, to arrange a learning environment that promotes inclusion and equitable outcomes for all students.

Levels of Physical Activity and Mental Health in Adolescents in Ireland

“…Creating opportunities to engage in physical activity and encouraging participation in sport is a relatively cheap and easy intervention, but for that to happen, there needs to be a concentrated effort at the national level, an effort that addresses adolescents, parents, teachers and the media. One implication of these findings is that it supports the proposal that physical activity should be part of the school curriculum in a more frequent and meaningful way [ 56 , 57 ], especially as children grow older. In addition, community spaces for participation in sport and physical activity should be created, and participation in sport, rather than just competition, needs to be recognised for its importance for the overall health of children and adolescents.…”

Physical contact in physical education – immigrant students’ perspectives

“…The fact that immigrant students generally support physical contact in PE mirrors the findings in . Negotiation aspects, such as the importance of trust and relationship building, are also acknowledged by other researchers (Mordal Moen et al, 2019;van Doodeward & Knoppers, 2018) and confirm that they are integral parts of the teaching profession. Furthermore, teachers' use of physical contact for learning, safety and emotional support are also evident in .…”

“…Finally, in their study, van Doodeward and Knoppers (2018) found that the development of caring relationships between teachers and students in multi-ethnic classes was essential for building trust in the teacher-student relationship. Such relationships are influenced by certain elements, such as knowledge about the students and caring teaching actions, which can include the use of physical contact (Mordal Moen et al, 2019).…”

Wanting to become PE teachers in Spain: connections between previous experiences and particular beliefs about school Physical Education and the development of professional teacher identities

“…On the other hand, the participants with negative experiences were often diametrically opposed to the notion that PE is a space where caring and development occur. The student teachers that espoused a pedagogical focus reflected on their bad experiences and their desire to create caring PE classrooms (Mordal Moen et al, 2019) that cater to the needs of a diverse student population:…”