AIESEP International Conference. Blazing New Trails: Future Directions for Sport Pedagogy and Physical Activity

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A functional instrument or a vehicle for experience? A qualitative study of PE-teachers' concepts of the body

Introduction: In our increasingly technological world, the role and importance of the body is undergoing a dynamic change (Shilling, 2008). The socialisation instance of school, which in addition to the transfer of knowledge and skills is given the task of also passing on socially relevant values and norms to adolescent generations, cannot remain unaffected by this. Here, the focus falls especially on PE. It is therefore not surprising that at the conceptual level of PE, there are signs of major changes in the perception of the body (Ruin, 2015). It remains unclear, however, whether the PE-teachers' concepts of the body are also changing. Methods: Structured interviews (N=49) provide the data basis on which to explore PE-teachers' per-ceptions of the body. Based on inductively developed categories, an evaluative, and type-building analysis (Kuckartz, 2014) was carried out. Results: The results show that teachers understand the body mainly in an instrumental manner. For those aged 30 to 40 years, however, the body is also becoming more strongly seen as a vehicle for experience and there is a conscious distancing from normalised perceptions of the body. Conclusions: The age-related differences in perceptions of the body suggest corresponding changes in PE-teachers. However, looking at the young professionals it also shows that an instrumental interpretation of the body may again become more important in the future. There may arise an objectification of the body under different circumstances - e.g. in the context of the growing importance of "diet and fitness regimes" (Featherstone, 2010). References: Featherstone, M. (2010). Body, Image and Affect in Consumer Culture. Body & Society, 16(1), 193-221. Kuckartz, U. (2014). Qualitative Text Analysis: A Guide to Methods, Practice and Using Software. Los Angeles: Sage. Ruin, S. (2015). Körperbilder in Sportlehrplänen. Berlin: Logos. Shilling, C. (2008). Changing bodies. Habit, crisis and creativity. Los Angeles: Sage.
Period08.06.2016 → 11.06.2016
Event typeOther
Sponsors
LocationLaramie (Wyoming), USA/United States of AmericaShow on map

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