Exploring the embodied experiences of social relationships in physical education

Abstract

ABSTRACT There is a need for new pedagogies in physical education that emphasise embodied learning experiences and meaningfulness [Ennis, C. D. (2017). Educating students for a lifetime of physical activity: Enhancing mindfulness, motivation, and meaning. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 88(3), 241–250; Kretchmar, R. S. (2008). The increasing utility of elementary school physical education: A mixed blessing and unique challenge. The Elementary School Journal, 108(3), 161–170; Lambert, K. (2020). Re-conceptualizing embodied pedagogies in physical education by creating pre-text vignettes to trigger pleasure ‘in’ movement. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 25(2), 154–173; Rintala, J. (2009). It's all about the –ing. Quest, 61(3), 278–288]. Social interaction is considered an integral feature of meaningful physical education [Beni, S., Fletcher, T., & Ní Chróinín, D. (2017). Meaningful experiences in physical education and youth sport: A review of the literature. Quest, 69(3), 291–312]. Previous research shows that various pedagogies of embodiment may contribute to enhancing positive social interaction [Azzarito, L., & Ennis, C. D. (2003). A sense of connection: Toward social constructivist physical education. Sport, Education and Society, 8(2), 179–197; Light, R. (2013). Positive Pedagogy for physical education and sport: Game Sense as an example. In R. Light, J. Quay, S. Harvey, & A. Mooney (Eds.), Contemporary developments in games teaching (pp. 29–42). Routledge]. This study explores pupils’ embodied experiences of social relationships in physical education. We aim to inform and further develop existing pedagogies of embodiment by expanding the knowledge about how intersubjectivity and sociality are experienced, and how these experiences affect the pupils’ movement exploration and enable them to value physical activity. By interpreting findings from a sensory ethnographic fieldwork in a tenth-grade class in Oslo, Norway, we show how pupils’ embodied experiences of social relationships revolve around establishing, confirming, maintaining, and questioning their sense of belonging to the social 'we'.