Physical Education PLC: neoliberalism, curriculum and governance. New directions for PESP research

Abstract

How might Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy (PESP) communities in the UK, Europe, Australasia and elsewhere go about researching the implications of neoliberalism and increasing privatisation of Education for the entitlements of young people to a common, comprehensive, high quality, equitable Physical Education (PE)? Our analyses suggest that research attention to the politics of identity, essentially, how pupils are positioned within institutions in ‘relation to’ various discourses, cultures and values given by the curriculum, pedagogical and assessment practices of schooling and Initial Teacher Education Physical Education (ITEPE) is a necessary but insufficient research agenda if the profession's project is social justice and pursuit of democratic ideals. The paper calls for some refocusing and expansion of sociological and educational research interests so that equal regard is paid to the political economy of education including ‘relations between’ PE and the new forms of governance and school organisation now featuring in countries across the globe. Together these relations within and between are altering the education landscape in new and unpredictable ways, including how social, cultural and physical capital is distributed and ‘consumed’ in and through PE in schools and ITEPE.