Teacher professional learning provides opportunities to enhance understandings and practices for those directly involved in children's learning. The expectations placed on providers of professional learning are frequently shaped by mandates beyond their control and or expertise. In this paper, we examine how the complex set of philosophies framing…

This paper draws on critical discourse analysis to examine how health and physical education (HPE) curricula from Sweden, Norway, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand may influence possibilities for the enactment of social justice in schools. The findings highlight the presence of social justice intentions across the five curricula as related…

Living an active lifestyle is one way to living a healthier life. The purpose of this review was to analyse empirical studies that show how schools can effectively promote active lifestyles for their students. Using online databases, a total of 15 empirical studies were found, all published from 2012 to 2022. The findings of this review highlight…

Senior secondary physical education courses for certification continue to attract increasing student enrolments amidst international concerns for the state and status of physical education in schools. Curricula analysis of senior secondary physical education has typically focussed on courses in local contexts. This review aims to contribute to the…

Children's physical education in early childhood settings has always been underpinned by an emphasis on play. This is viewed as foundational for child development (movement education, cognitive growth, socialising functions, emotional development). However, where priorities about childhood obesity prevail, increased 'prevention' efforts have…

Kirk warns that physical education (PE) exists in a precarious situation as the dominance of the multi-activity sport-techniques model, and its associated problems, threatens the long-term educational survival of PE. Yet he also notes that although the model is problematic it is highly resistant to change. In this paper, we draw on the results of…

The aim of this paper was to gain an understanding of the views of a group of physical education teacher educators on the purpose(s) of school physical education and whether, how and why these views have changed over time. Semi-structured individual interviews were carried out with thirteen physical education teacher educators; a fourteenth…

Occupational socialisation theory (OST) is a dialectical approach to understanding teachers' recruitment, training, and lived experiences in school settings. Research using this model has shown that socialisation influences how physical educators interpret or "read" pedagogical models. However, this research has not been extended to the…

Arnold's dimensions of movement, commonly known as education "in, through and about" movement, serve as one of five propositions in the development of a new national curriculum document for Health and Physical Education. The purpose of this article is to examine these dimensions, before undertaking an interrogation of their usefulness in…

The study examines school-based physical activity in investigating teachers' perceptions of a physical activity-related professional development (PD) intervention in New Zealand primary schools. Eighteen semi-structured interviews with six teachers from two schools was the primary data collection method. Using a selected programme, teachers'…

In order to support children's physical health and well-being in early childhood education programmes, it is important to understand how teacher practices concerned with physical activity and nutrition can be addressed effectively. Current evidence suggests that young children's opportunities for physical activity in early childhood are…

The purpose of this study was to identify students' perspectives of the role of healthy behaviours in their well-being and school success. Since a number of studies focused on establishing the link between healthy behaviours and learning have relied on quantitative measures, it was deemed important to provide a different perspective on the topic…

"Physical Education and Health: Global Perspectives and Best Practice" draws together global scholars, researchers, and practitioners to provide a review and analysis of new directions in physical education and health worldwide. The book provides descriptive information from 40 countries regarding contemporary practices, models, and…

Background: The relationship between sport and exercise science (SES) and health and physical education (HPE) has been of interest to those of us involved in the general field of human movement studies in higher education for at least the last four decades. Purpose: The purpose of this research was to determine how the proposed merging of the…

In taking heed of the so-called "spatial turn" in social theory this paper explores how the spatial intersects with boys' performances of gender and (dis)pleasures in school physical education (PE). In particular, the paper aims to contribute to our understanding of how the organisation and implementation of physical and social spaces in…