Enacting a new curriculum: Chile's social uprising and the reshaping of physical education

The relationship between society and schools is deeply interconnected. One of the primary ways societies exerts influence on education is through policy, especially curriculum reform, which reflects social values and shapes the educational framework. In the field of physical education, numerous examples highlight the complexities of reforming and enacting new curricula. This study builds on that literature, examining how societal changes and educational policies inform curriculum practices in contemporary contexts. Using a heuristic framework, we investigate the enactment of a new PE curriculum within the context of Chile’s post-social uprising curriculum reform [Evans, V., Aldous, D., & Penney, D. (2024). Embodying policy work: An exploration of contexts, actions and meanings towards new possibilities for physical education teacher education (PETE). Sport, Education and Society, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2024.2398614]. A 14-month mini-ethnographic design [Fusch, P. I., Fusch, G. E., & Ness, L. R. (2017). How to conduct a mini-ethnographic case study: A guide for novice researchers. The Qualitative Report, 22(3), 923–941. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2017.2580] was employed, divided into three phases: (a) familiarization with the context, (b) visiting and experiencing the context and (c) reflecting on the findings. Data were generated through reflective diaries kept during the fieldwork (i.e. second phase; [Emerson, R. M., Fretz, R. I., & Shaw, L. L. (2011). Writing ethnographic fieldnotes (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press]) and analyzed using a six-phase reflexive thematic analysis [Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE]. Three key themes were generated from the data analysis: (a) Navigating the Intersection of Comprehensive Pedagogies and the Chilean Sociocultural Context, (b) Exploring the Viability of Comprehensive Pedagogies in Chile: Opportunities and Challenges and (c) ‘Disoñando’ Another Physical Education for Chile: Educational Possibilities from Comprehensive Pedagogies. This study exemplifies the challenges and opportunities of enacting a new curriculum in a Latin American context. While educators’ views of physical education may align with the curriculum’s aims, their capacity to adapt pedagogical practices to these reforms is crucial. The findings emphasize the importance of equipping Physical Education Teachers, Teacher Educators and Pre-Service Teachers with the necessary resources and support to adjust their practices to new curricular guidelines. Future research should prioritize teachers’ perspectives to understand how to facilitate their adaptation to these evolving policies.