Is the development of physical literacy ubiquitous in high-quality physical education?

Abstract

Current physical literacy recommendations include a focus on enhancing teachers’ knowledge and understanding of the concept. This paper explores whether physical education (PE) practitioners in a country where physical literacy is not foregrounded in educational practice are naturally aligning their approach towards the creation of learning experiences that would nurture physical literacy. Ten in-service Spanish PE teachers delivering Educación Secundaria Obligatoria and Bachillerato education programmes to students aged 13 to 18 years (seven male, three female; mean age: 45 years; mean teaching experience: 17.4 years), unfamiliar with the concept of physical literacy, participated in semi-structured interviews exploring their experiences of delivering PE. Thematic analysis revealed teaching craft, curriculum implementation, differentiation strategies, assessment behaviours, utility of feedback, psychomotor development, and sensitivity to affective domains of learning as overarching themes. Findings provide insight into the practices and behaviours of PE teachers who self-identified as being unfamiliar with the concept of physical literacy. Results suggest that learners are well served through the provision of high-quality PE that ubiquitously satisfies the requirements of developing physically literate individuals, implying how teaching is conducted in relation to developing physical literacy is as important, perhaps more so, than what is understood of the concept.