TY - JOUR
T1 - Activating the curriculum: a socio-ecological action research frame for health and physical education
AU - O'Connor, Justen
AU - Alfrey, Laura Georgina
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - The health and physical education (HPE) profession needs to find alternatives to its individualistic
and performative focus if it is to remain relevant and meaningful for all learners. This paper
presents a way of framing HPE that helps to shift the focus from the individual as autonomous
decision-maker, and goes beyond sport and fitness testing as the main contexts for learning. To do
this we present the socio-ecological action research (SEAR) frame for unit development that was
co-created and enacted over a six-month period involving dialogue between teachers, students,
parents, researchers and community. This paper presents findings from semi-structured interviews,
student artefacts and field notes collected as one component of a broader three-phase study which
spanned three years. The data describe how generalist primary teachers (n 4) from a small
Victorian community and their students (aged 8 10 years) tackled a unit of work that positioned
centrally the everyday physical experiences of active school travel (AST). Teachers supported
students in exploring barriers to their AST, and developing strategies that would counteract some
of the negative perceptions that had limited their AST in the past. The findings suggest that the
unit of work evolved from an exploration of AST into a much broader exploration of the whole
community. This paper does not provide evidence for an alternative way to view HPE, rather it
represents an embryonic exploration of how a SEAR frame might support teachers in applying
inquiry-based pedagogies that extend beyond the individual as autonomous decision-maker, and
promote opportunities for exploration and understanding of environmental, social and personal
factors that influence our health and everyday physically active lives. Despite students being
positioned as central actors within the SEAR frame, obtaining genuine student voice throughout
the process proved challenging.
AB - The health and physical education (HPE) profession needs to find alternatives to its individualistic
and performative focus if it is to remain relevant and meaningful for all learners. This paper
presents a way of framing HPE that helps to shift the focus from the individual as autonomous
decision-maker, and goes beyond sport and fitness testing as the main contexts for learning. To do
this we present the socio-ecological action research (SEAR) frame for unit development that was
co-created and enacted over a six-month period involving dialogue between teachers, students,
parents, researchers and community. This paper presents findings from semi-structured interviews,
student artefacts and field notes collected as one component of a broader three-phase study which
spanned three years. The data describe how generalist primary teachers (n 4) from a small
Victorian community and their students (aged 8 10 years) tackled a unit of work that positioned
centrally the everyday physical experiences of active school travel (AST). Teachers supported
students in exploring barriers to their AST, and developing strategies that would counteract some
of the negative perceptions that had limited their AST in the past. The findings suggest that the
unit of work evolved from an exploration of AST into a much broader exploration of the whole
community. This paper does not provide evidence for an alternative way to view HPE, rather it
represents an embryonic exploration of how a SEAR frame might support teachers in applying
inquiry-based pedagogies that extend beyond the individual as autonomous decision-maker, and
promote opportunities for exploration and understanding of environmental, social and personal
factors that influence our health and everyday physically active lives. Despite students being
positioned as central actors within the SEAR frame, obtaining genuine student voice throughout
the process proved challenging.
UR - http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13573322.2013.789013
U2 - 10.1080/13573322.2013.789013
DO - 10.1080/13573322.2013.789013
M3 - Article
VL - 20
SP - 691
EP - 709
JO - Sport, Education and Society
JF - Sport, Education and Society
SN - 1357-3322
IS - 6
ER -