Legitimising gymnastics in physical education

Andorra Lynn Jensen*

*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

For more than 200 years, Physical Education (PE) has played a part in civilizing Danish school children to be good citizens according to the state’s needs of the time. But the legitimacy of PE as an academic school subject has often been up for debate, and for the past 25 years globalization and competition between nation states as survival units has permeated the education system leading to an increased focus on effectivity and measurable competencies. Elias’ concept of sociology of knowledge is helpful to explore how the struggles to legitimse PE can be understood in terms of what types of knowledge the subject represents. In my PhD project this is explored by using gymnastics in the PE bachelor programmes at four Danish universities as a case. Specifically, this presentation will focus on how the effort to legitimise teaching gymnastics at university can be understood in relation to the longer-term development processes in wider figurations. This includes exploring the interdependence between practical knowledge, which is inherently a more involved type of knowledge, and theoretical knowledge, which encompasses both more involved and more detached forms of knowledge. Empirically the study draws mainly on interviews with twelve current and former gymnastic course coordinators and/or teachers at four Danish Universities as well as observations of their gymnastics classes, and documents regarding the courses. In keeping with using an Eliasian inspired framework, the analysis aims to explore the power balances between different people in the figuration, and what unintended consequences past decision making processes have led towards in the present. Results of this project will contribute towards the debate about the value of gymnastics in education and provide future directions for decision making processes regarding the knowledge represented in PE.
Original languageEnglish
Publication dateDec 2024
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2024
EventSocial Figurations: Long-term processes, present concerns and future directions - Prag, Czech Republic
Duration: 4 Dec 20247 Dec 2024
https://www.socialfigurations2024.cz/

Conference

ConferenceSocial Figurations
Country/TerritoryCzech Republic
CityPrag
Period04/12/202407/12/2024
Internet address

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