The involvement of external agencies in extra-curricular physical education: reinforcing or challenging gender and ability inequities?

Wilkinson, Shaun and Penney, Dawn (2014) The involvement of external agencies in extra-curricular physical education: reinforcing or challenging gender and ability inequities? Sport, Education and Society, 21 (5). pp. 741-758. ISSN 1357-3322

[img] Text (Full text)
Wilkinson & Penney-external agencies.docx - Accepted Version

Download (44kB)
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2014.956714

Abstract

Within the UK and internationally, schools are increasingly being encouraged to call on external agencies and draw on the services of individuals, including sport coaches, to ‘help teach or lead sports within the school setting and out of school time’. This trend arises from and has contributed to a changing policy landscape and relations that characterise ‘physical education and school sport’ (PESS) and the growing use of the terminology of ‘PESS’. Previous research has highlighted that neither PESS considered broadly as a policy space, nor specific initiatives centring on ‘partnership-based’ development of physical education (PE) and/or sport in schools, can be assumed to facilitate greater equity in provision for young people. This study reports on research that has sought to build on past studies revealing gender and ability inequities amidst PESS developments. The research was designed as a small-scale case study investigation to critically explore the equity-related messages being conveyed in and through the hidden curriculum in a context of coaches’ involvement in extra-curricular provision. Utilising observations and interviews with coaches and PE teachers, data collection focused on ways in which ideas of ability, masculinity and femininity were being constructed and reproduced in and through coach's pedagogy, and sought insight into the prospective impact of the particular constructions on girls’ and boys’ involvement in extra-curricular PE. Analysis revealed that the hidden curriculum expressed in and through the organisation of extra-curricular PE and coaches’ pedagogical practices in this context can be seen as reaffirming limited conceptions of ability in PE and gender inequity in relation to girls’ and boys’ respective participation opportunities. Discussion critically addresses the relationship between policy and pedagogy in PESS in pursuing apparently ongoing tendencies for long-standing inequities to be reproduced in and through extra-curricular provision.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Published online 15-9-2014 ahead of print.
Uncontrolled Keywords: Hidden curriculum, Extra-curricular physical education, Coaches, Outsourcing, Gender, Ability
Subjects: C600 Sports Science
X300 Academic studies in Education
Department: Faculties > Health and Life Sciences > Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation
Depositing User: Paul Burns
Date Deposited: 23 Oct 2014 14:56
Last Modified: 12 Oct 2019 16:26
URI: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/17787

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics