Changing the logic of practice: (re)drawing boundaries, (re)defining fields

Abstract

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 health and physical education teacher education practices within a university department of SES impacted on the teacher educators and then why they fought to retain their place in the Faculty of Education. Participants: The research participants included a group of five HPE teacher educators from a College of Education, the Dean and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Education, and the Director of Teacher Education. Research design: The research employed ethnographic case-study methods involving participant interviews and daily monitoring and journaling of the participants’ involvement and position-taking during the period of the research. Data gathering also included document analysis of all the related documentation available to the researcher relating to the research topic during the period of the investigation. Research themes were then analysed using Bourdieu's sociological lens, which is reported in this paper. Findings: Although the HPE teacher educators and sports scientists recognised the different ‘logics of practice’ underpinning their respective fields, the faculty leaders did not share their views. Consequently, while the teacher educators argued to retain the existing logics underpinning the two fields, the faculty leaders sought to redraw the boundaries seeking some degree of collaboration between the two fields. Conclusion: The relationship between HPE and SES is determined by the externally structured and internally embodied logics of practice underpinning the respective fields in higher education, and this in turn is important in determining how people engage in sport, physical activity, and physical education.