Students' Experiences in Sport-Based Physical Education: [More Than] Apologies are Necessary

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Catherine D. Ennis, Professor (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: Those of us who have been participants in sport for much of our lives often find it a time-consuming and irrelevant task to defend the joys and rewards of physical activity to the uninformed or the uninitiated. Some physical education teachers are amazed at the energy they must spend motivating students to dress and participate in physical activity at the lowest intensity levels (Ennis, 1995). Even physiologists are modifying the "criteria" for health-enhancing exercise to make it more palatable for the majority of Americans who enjoy a sedentary lifestyle and are unconcerned with target heart rate zones. While many Americans watch sport, far fewer participate in sport as aphysical activity. Corlett, in his efforts to focus on the benefits of sport, glazes over the problems insidious in some sporting contexts. I will focus on problems plaguing sport-based, public school physical education that lead to discriminatory and abusive practices. I am most concerned with the policies used to perpetuate discriminatory sporting practices in schools, and believe disenfranchised individuals deserve an apology.

Additional Information

Publication
Quest, 1996, 48, 453-456
Language: English
Date: 1996
Keywords
Sports, Physical education, Primary/Secondary education, Fitness, Alienation, Marginalization, Inclusive physical education, Gender

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