Pedagogical approaches to health-related physical education (PE) in the context of digitalisation – a scoping review

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction There are varied consequences of digital transformation processes within the fitness and health-related living environments of adolescents (e.g. increased physical activity through wearables, body dissatisfaction through social media) which could potentially provide fruitful health-related learning experiences within different pedagogical approaches to health in PE (e.g. biomedical vs. alternative, Mong and Standal, 2019, “Didactics of Health in Physical Education – a Review of Literature.” Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy 24 (5): 506–518. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2019.1631270). However, concerns have been raised that the integration of digital media into health-related PE could reinforce biomedical approaches to health and lead, for example, to a focus on increasing fitness through technology. This one-sided focus would not be in line with the demands for a comprehensive health education. This paper aims to map the current trend of pedagogical approaches to health-related PE in the context of digitalisation and to identify typical learning goals against this background. Methods We conducted a scoping review based on the framework of Tricco et al. (2018, “PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews: Checklist and Explanation.” Annals of Internal Medicine 169 (7): 467–473. https://doi.org/10.7326/M18-0850). We searched nine databases using a search term covering three topic areas: digitalisation, health, and physical education. Considering the publication years from 2013 to 2023, we selected papers in a three-step process (title-, abstract-, and full-text-screening). In total, we included 103 empirical and theoretical papers in the analysis using qualitative content analysis (Kuckartz, 2019, “Qualitative Text Analysis: A Systematic Approach.” In Compendium for Early Career Researchers in Mathematics Education, edited by G. Kaiser and N. Presmeg, 181–197. Cham: Springer). To map the pedagogical approach to health, we applied the following main deductive categories: conceptualisation of health, paradigmatic approach to health and envisaged learning goals. To analyse learning goals with regard to digitalisation, we used the distinction between learning with and about digital media as a focus of analysis. Results The scoping review shows that most of the papers discussed a broad conceptualisation of health for PE by addressing biopsychosocial aspects of health. Many of the implications for health- and digitalisation-associated learning goals related to pre-reflective and functional-reflective learning goals in the area of learning with digital media. They mainly focused, from a pathogenic viewpoint, on how digital media can increase health-enhancing physical activity, affective determinants of health behaviour and health-related knowledge. Parts of these learning goals have already been empirically investigated. Only a few papers proposed critical-reflective learning goals in the area of learning about digital media, aiming at a socio-emancipatory engagement with digital media, health and society. No empirical study within the scoping review investigated the effectiveness of such critical health- and digitalisation-related PE. Discussion and conclusion In light of the results, it is important that future genuine pedagogical research about health- and digitalisation-related PE increasingly focuses on the development and empirical evaluation of theoretically sound concepts for PE that are in line with the educational demands of comprehensive – thus also critical and salutogenic – health and digital education.