Contributions of Motor Behavior to Physical Education: what has changed in the last 15 years?

Abstract

This article aimed to continue with the reflections on the relationship between Motor Behavior as a field of investigation and Physical Education as an area of knowledge, seeking to analyze what changes have occurred in the last 15 years, regarding the challenges and suggestions formulated in an article that I have published in the Brazilian Journal of Motor Behavior’s first issue, in 2006. The analyzes carried out that were based on data extracted from publications throughout this period allow us to conclude that the picture has not had significant changes, particularly concerning the contribution of Motor Behavior researchers to a better definition of the academic identity of Physical Education, which is necessary for the proper contextualization of researches performed on motor behavior in the field. The results show the researchers' lack of interest in discussing more macroscopic themes of epistemological nature, concentrating on the publication of articles to increase their scientific productivity.