Challenging Gender in Physical Education : A queer lens on PE teaching

• Gender structures have proven to be difficult to challenge within physical education. Despite increased research based knowledge about the relative dominance of boys and of a teaching dominated by traditional sports and physical exercise, little is done in order to change this situation. This might be due to a lack of critical perspectives among researchers and teachers. The aim of this paper is to outline a perspective that might be able to produce new ways of conceptualising and understanding what is happening in terms of gender power relations in physical education classes. We term this perspective queer, hence indicating a subversive perspective that can challenge the complementary perspective on gender that is at present dominating within the subject. From a queer point of view, much of the attempts to 'adjust' the conditions for girls and boys turn out to be reinforcing a traditional gender order, where boys are 'naturally' physically gifted while girls rather 'lie low' during class.

Nyckelord

physical education

gender

queer theory

teaching

Samhällsvetenskap/Humaniora

Social Sciences/Humanities

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)