TY - JOUR
T1 - The (mis)alignment between young people’s collective physical activity experience and physical education curriculum development in Ireland
AU - Coulter, Maura
AU - Scanlon, Dylan
AU - MacPhail, Ann
AU - O’Brien, Wesley
AU - Belton, Sarahjane
AU - Woods, Catherine
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation.
PY - 2020/9/1
Y1 - 2020/9/1
N2 - Major curriculum changes have recently occurred in Ireland, including redeveloping the primary curriculum and the enactment of the Junior Cycle Framework (DES, 2015). Positive and negative experiences affect the attitudes which contribute to determining the quality of curricular experiences. Framed in the work of Fullan, M. (1991. The New Meaning of Educational Change. Toronto: Teachers College Press) and Dewey, J. (1997. Experience and Education. New York, NY: Touchstone), this study aims to understand how young people’s experiences of collective physical activity can inform physical education curriculum development and enactment. Focus group interviews were conducted in three primary and three post-primary schools. The young people’s experiences reflected the features of meaningful physical education: fun opportunities, preferably outside; to socially interact with friends; provision of activities that are both competitive and non-competitive; activities focused on team sport and alternative forms of movement such as yoga; differentiated activities and teams and choice, beyond choosing between team sports only. We argue that the young person’s voice has the potential to inform policy and practice, as well as enforce and advocate for policy and practice that positions young people at the centre of the learning experience.
AB - Major curriculum changes have recently occurred in Ireland, including redeveloping the primary curriculum and the enactment of the Junior Cycle Framework (DES, 2015). Positive and negative experiences affect the attitudes which contribute to determining the quality of curricular experiences. Framed in the work of Fullan, M. (1991. The New Meaning of Educational Change. Toronto: Teachers College Press) and Dewey, J. (1997. Experience and Education. New York, NY: Touchstone), this study aims to understand how young people’s experiences of collective physical activity can inform physical education curriculum development and enactment. Focus group interviews were conducted in three primary and three post-primary schools. The young people’s experiences reflected the features of meaningful physical education: fun opportunities, preferably outside; to socially interact with friends; provision of activities that are both competitive and non-competitive; activities focused on team sport and alternative forms of movement such as yoga; differentiated activities and teams and choice, beyond choosing between team sports only. We argue that the young person’s voice has the potential to inform policy and practice, as well as enforce and advocate for policy and practice that positions young people at the centre of the learning experience.
KW - curriculum development
KW - meaningful experiences
KW - physical activity
KW - Physical education
KW - sport
KW - student voice
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85089571337&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/25742981.2020.1808493
DO - 10.1080/25742981.2020.1808493
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85089571337
SN - 2574-2981
VL - 11
SP - 204
EP - 221
JO - Curriculum Studies in Health and Physical Education
JF - Curriculum Studies in Health and Physical Education
IS - 3
ER -