The atypical physical educator: Bordieuan insights into teacher’s body narratives and values construction in pedagogical practice

Abstract

The stereotypical Physical Education teacher is an agile, physically capable, healthy, and unencumbered male who comes to the subject with successful experiences in one or more major sporting codes. In this paper we draw on a theoretical framework from Pierre Bourdieu to explain how participants in this study who are not the archetypical Physical Education (PE) teacher negotiated their identities as teachers of PE. Specifically, we drew on the concept of field, in conjunction with the notions of habitus, capital and doxa as a critical lens for comprehending the agency of the PE teachers to be someone other than the stereotypical PE teacher. Life stories and interviews were employed as data collection methods. The narratives that are used to represent the findings provide critical insights into the beliefs, past experiences, and understandings regarding the body, health, and teaching of the three pre-service teachers. The results highlight the importance of critical reflection on one’s own beliefs and past experiences, and their influence on pedagogical practices in PE. We conclude that there is a need for greater diversity in the PE community in order to ensure that PE is a subject that can be meaningful for students who do not embodying a sporting habitus.