There is a dearth of research with LGBTQI+ youth in PE and school sport, with particularly deep silences in relation to trans youth. Drawing from a qualitative study with trans and gender diverse youth in second-level schools in Ireland, this paper explores how trans and gender diverse young people are negotiating PE and school sport. A total of…

Drawing on social constructivist learning theory and a conceptual framework for meaningful physical education (MPE), the purpose of this self-study was to present and explore how one teacher-researcher (TR) evolved their approach to implementing pedagogy promoting MPE in an alternative secondary/high school education setting. Utilizing self-study,…

Background: The meaningful assessment of motor competence is well positioned for school-based curricular emphasis, through the integration of motor skills and movement patterns in both primary, and second level school physical education. Aligned with the growing interest in holistic motor competence assessment in physical education, the aim of…

Drawing on the concept of agency and teacher agency and engaging with figurational sociology, this paper explores the extent to which teacher agency plays a role in one teacher's enactment of a new school subject (Leaving Certificate Physical Education (LCPE), an examinable subject assessed in a high-stakes environment) in a period of curriculum…

The purpose of this paper was to examine Irish Physical Education teachers' views on curriculum change at the beginning of its implementation stage, with a particular focus on revision to the Physical Education curriculum and the new Wellbeing programme. In the light of these revisions, teachers were asked to make considerable changes to their…

Background: Musculoskeletal injuries are common in adolescents, and recently schools have been suggested as an opportune location for injury prevention strategies. This study aimed to identify the current practices and perceptions of post-primary PE teachers in Ireland on injury prevention exercise programs (IPEP), which are key to informing…

Despite calls for injury prevention exercise programmes (IPEPs) to move to school settings for the general adolescent population, current research has had mixed outcomes regarding their efficacy in schools as many of the traditional barriers to IPEP implementation still exist, for example, lack of engagement with the programme. A games-based…

The World Health Organization ([WHO], 2018) encourages schools to engage with a multi-component, whole-of-school approach to physical activity promotion. However, little evidence exists describing the practices of schools that successfully promote a physically active school culture. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the best…

In Ireland, physical education (PE) in the first three years of second level (12-15 years) is taught within the broader program area of Wellbeing, which necessarily influences the aims and objectives which need to be achieved. Within this context, Y-PATH PE4Me is proposed as an underpinning curriculum model to serve as an appropriate and valuable…

Current cutting-edge research conveys that pedagogical change using models-based practice and integration of digital technology (DT) to enable teaching and learning is most successful when supported by a learning community. Overall, the research literature acknowledges that empowering teachers to believe in themselves and their ability to tackle…

Schools are ideal settings to promote adolescent physical activity (PA), yet school-based interventions have shown limited long-term impact. This position paper presents key issues surrounding school-based PA interventions. Collaborative conceptual thinking drawing on multi-author expertise and available evidence advanced our understanding and…

It has been noted that individual characteristics and workplace factors have rarely been combined to gain a more holistic understanding of teachers' career trajectories (Rinke, 2008. Understanding teachers' careers: Linking professional life to professional path. "Educational Research Review," 3(1), 1-13.; Schaefer, Long, &…

A Physical Education Development Group (PEDG) was responsible for constructing a new school subject curriculum, Leaving Certificate Physical Education (LCPE), in Ireland. This paper provides an insight into this development group and explores the process of curriculum development, and the influence of roles and power-ratios within the group, in…

Guided by Dewey's [1966. "Democracy and education." New York: The Free Press] concept of 'education as growth', the purpose of this paper is to explore learners' enactments of student voice in Physical Education (PE) at a time of curricular reform. A qualitative comparative case study design gathered data from 18 students across 10…

Purpose: To examine the prevalence of and approaches to monitoring health-related physical fitness (HRPF) in secondary school-based physical education programs. Methods: Physical education teachers (N = 327; 56.6% females) from 235 secondary schools (33.1% of national total) in the Republic of Ireland completed a survey designed specifically for…