A 200-year perspective and future challenges : Physical activities and their relation to physical education

• Over time the chosen bodily movement practices within Physical education and health (PEH) have created tensions in terms of power and control over what has been seen as legitimate in the educational sector of physical culture. The aim of the study has been to, through a macro level overview and by using a model, illuminate how different bodily movement practices in the world’s oldest physical education teacher education (PETE) have emerged over time, become embedded, remain, fade or disappear. By following this continuity and discontinuity of practices, four distinct phases have been identified and their contextual background is described.The theoretical departure point is inspired by the work of Bourdieu. The analytical focus have been placed on how deliberate forms of bodily movement practices within the studied PETE program came to be defined and regulated through meaning making principles, or in other words: logic of practices (Bourdieu 1984, 1990). This departure point makes it possible to analyze how aspects of investment and intrinsic values have been put forward and related to views on body, gender and health.Findings: The first phase is characterized by the establishment of Ling gymnastics from early 1800s, and its gradual fall in the 1900s. Next phase started in the late 1800s and dealt with the introduction of sport and outdoor life. The third relates to the rise and fall of a separate female gymnastics practice during the 1900s. The fourth phase is characterized by the introduction of everyday life physical activities in the beginning of the new millennium. The overview is followed by reflections on the future content of bodily movement practices and sought for values in PETE and physical education in the school system, seen from a gender perspective.

Nyckelord

Physical education

Ling gymnastics

continuity

discontinuity

values

physical culture

gender

Samhällsvetenskap/Humaniora

Social Sciences/Humanities

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)