Background: The meaningful assessment of motor competence is well positioned for school-based curricular emphasis, through the integration of motor skills and movement patterns in both primary, and second level school physical education. Aligned with the growing interest in holistic motor competence assessment in physical education, the aim of…

Background: Despite the value dance can bring to people's lives, many physical educators find dance intimidating (Goodwin [2010]. "Dance is Not a Dirty Word." "Strategies" 24 (1): 10-12.). Teachers' self-consciousness becomes problematic if they negotiate this discomfort by omitting dance as a movement option (MacLean [2018].…

Background: Fundamental Motor Skills (FMS) are important building blocks for children's sport-participation and lifelong physical activity. In the last decade, several international studies have reported delays in the development of FMS. To get better insight into the Dutch situation and to provide future directions, this study examined the…

Background: Prior research has shown that homophobia and transphobia are widespread in schools, some studies even indicate that the prevalence of harassment towards LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer etc.) individuals in schools is higher than in other social contexts. Recently, several qualitative studies have been published in…

Background: Although physical literacy is explicitly defined and integrated into Canadian provincial physical education curricula, limited empirical evidence substantiates the development of physical literacy in elementary physical education. Despite physical education curricular expectations, developing and assessing physical literacy in students…

Background: There have been criticisms that classroom teachers are insufficiently trained and lack the confidence to deliver high-quality physical education (PE). Physical literacy (PL) is one of the main concepts that encompass various outcomes and is the main focus of the PE curriculum in many countries. However, to be able to transfer this…

Background: Many studies find that physical education (PE) classes in elementary schools rarely meet the recommendation to engage students in moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) at least 50% of the class time. PE teachers are responsible for engaging students in MVPA during PE classes. Therefore, identifying teacher-related factors…

Background: In recent decades, Spain has seen a decline in girls' interest in pursuing the Physical Activity and Sport Science (PASS) degree. For example, in Catalonia (Spain), the number of women enrolled has decreased from 39.3% in the 2000-2001 academic year to 17.3% in the 2014-2015 academic year (Serra, Soler, Vilanova et al. 2019), which is…

Background: Irish school children have demonstrated poor proficiency in fundamental movement skills (FMS) and consistent with international literature, females and overweight children tend to be less skilled than males and non-overweight children. Interventions that are suitable for children of all abilities and which provide long-term…

Background: For over six decades, in many countries, youth fitness testing has been seen as a critical component of physical education programs. As such, preservice physical education teachers (PPETs) must be trained appropriately for effective youth fitness testing, with careful consideration dedicated to PPETs perceptions, since many purported…

Background: The interest for young people's movement ability has increased. Literature shows that many factors, apart from movement ability, influence the development of and sustained interest in or taste for physical activity and the learning thereof. Purpose: This longitudinal study illustrates, through the lens of Bourdieu, whether and how…

Background: Motor competence, defined as a person's ability to execute different motor skills, is directly associated with children's physical, mental, and social development and may be essential in encouraging an active lifestyle in childhood. Although health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children has been described as an individual's…

Background: Health and Physical Education (HPE) teachers are in a unique position to act as role models to their students. Purpose: To explore the expectations, beliefs and attitudes towards role modelling of health behaviours by pre-service teachers who were specialising in HPE, and those who were not. Study design: Cross-sectional, Survey…

Background and purpose: Perceptions of social status can marginalize and exclude students participating in educational group work. In physical education, students may alter interactions based on the group composition. However, research has offered limited evidence to identify characteristics that can potentially predict social hierarchy. The…

Background: Recent critiques of twenty-first century physical education (PE), and by association physical education teacher education (PETE), position the discipline as largely uncontested, unproblematised and uncritical. This critique encourages researchers to re-consider the nature of PE and what it means to move, be moved, value movement or be…