Exploring the Everyday 'Philosophies' of Physical Education Teachers from a Sociological Perspective

Abstract

This paper presents the findings from semi-structured interviews with 35 physical education (PE) teachers in secondary schools in the north-west of England. The principal aim of the study was to examine teachers' everyday 'philosophies' of PE, from a sociological perspective, in an attempt to identify the existence of philosophical - or, more accurately, ideological - themes therein and to explore the socio-genesis of such 'philosophies'. Analysis of the interview data revealed several prominent ideological themes - sport, health, academic value, education for leisure and 'sport for all'. These themes bore little resemblance to the more academic conceptions of PE to be found in PE theory and documentation. In this vein, teachers' commitment to particular notions, such as enjoyment, begged questions regarding the ostensibly educational element of physical education. Having identified the existence of what might be termed a 'theory-practice' gap between academic philosophy of PE and the ideological themes in PE teachers' 'philosophies', the paper suggests that a sociological, specifically figurational, approach to PE teachers' 'philosophies' in particular, as well as epistemological issues in general, may hold out the promise of a more adequate explanation of the pre-eminence of particular ideologies.