Sociocultural Issues in Physical Education

Sara Barnard Flory is an assistant professor in the School of Physical Education and Exercise Science at the University of South Florida. She studies the role of culture in physical education and physical activity, and she is specifically interested developing culturally competent curriculum models, school-based health initiatives, and preparing teachers for culturally diverse school settings. Stephen Sanders is professor and director of the School of Physical Education and Exercise Science at the University of South Florida. He is the author of several books related to implementation of developmentally appropriate curriculum and practice in early childhood physical activity settings. Amy Tischler is assistant professor in the Physical Education Teacher Education program at the University of Wiscosin-La Crosse. She studies how particular students and student groups are advantaged and disadvantaged in and through social practices in physical education and physical activity spaces.

This well-written, well-edited book appears very appropriately at a time when there is so much national attention on schools' roles in promoting healthful lifestyle choices. The editors have gathered an outstanding collection of case studies, discussions, and leading questions that get at both the value of physical education and the problems associated with the way physical education is often taught. The book deals in a down-to-earth way with [multiple] issues. . . .The editors wisely organize the book so that each chapter focuses on a specific topic and is written by a recognized expert on the issue. The case studies could be used in upper-level undergraduate or graduate teacher preparation classes, by practitioners, or by anyone—including parents and community members—concerned about physical education programs on a local school or school district level. The book would also make an excellent resource for any teacher preparation program focused on developmentally and socioculturally sensitive education—and not just for the area of physical education. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.

• Introduction: Using Case Studies to Analyze Teaching and Learning in Physical EducationAmy TischlerChapter 1: Physical Education Curriculum in the Age of Cultural Relevance and Popular Physical Activity CultureNate McCaughtry and Erin E. CenteioChapter 2: Shifting Perspectives: Moving Boys to Move in Physical EducationAmy TischlerChapter 3: "PE Doesn’t Stand for Physical education it Stands for Public Embarrassment": Voicing Experiences and Proffering Solutions to Girls’ Disengagement in PE Ashley Casey, Joanne Hill, and Victoria A. GoodyearChapter 4: When Boys Talk About Their Bodies: How Boys Learn “that persons useless” Michael KehlerChapter 5: Social Class and School Physical Education: Teaching ‘Haves and Have-nots’Matthew D. FerryChapter 6: “Lost in Translation”Brian CulpChapter 7: The Dangers of a Single Story: Heteronormativity in Physical EducationLeanne Coll, Eimear Enright, and Mary O’SullivanChapter 8: “I’m beautiful”: A Case for Adopting a Sociocultural Perspective in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE)Laura AzzaritoChapter 9: Promoting Safe Physical Activity in a Challenging EnvironmentBrian CulpChapter 10: Establishing Relationships Built on Care in Urban SchoolsSara Flory