Gendered pedagogy in senior secondary physical education curriculum enactment

Abstract

ABSTRACT Arnold’s dimensions of movement (1979) and Wilcox’s embodied ways of knowing (2009) informed case study research which explored the influence of gender(ed) movement-based pedagogy and associated equity issues in Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) Physical Education (PE). VCE PE teachers from three schools provided documentation (course, unit, lesson plans, resources, assessment materials) and semi-structured interviews to investigate how teachers used movement and the role gender plays in influencing decisions and approaches relating to movement-based pedagogy. Gender discourses were evident in teachers’ decisions regarding the types of movement experiences included in VCE PE, pedagogical approaches and assessment contexts. Issues of safety were linked to gendered assumptions about learners. Movement is a central tenet of senior secondary PE, yet movement-based pedagogy needs to be more responsive to the needs of all students to ensure equity in students’ movement and learning experiences and to positively reflect gender diversity of student cohorts.