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This interdisciplinary collection explores the nexus of social justice and sport to consider how sport and physical education can serve as a unique point of commonality in an era of religious, political, economic, and cultural polarity. Originally published as a special issue of "Quest," "Sport, Physical Education, and Social Justice" offers timely theoretical perspectives from the fields of theology, philosophy, psychology, and sociology. The volume demonstrates the multiple ways in which sport can be used to overcome inequalities and marginalization relating to gender, race, disability, religion, and sexuality, and posits sports education as a powerful mechanism for addressing school-based issues including bullying, racism, and citizenship education. Truly international in scope, the text includes contributions from scholars addressing issues in both formal and informal sports education settings, communities, and locales. "Sport, Physical Education and Social Justice" will be of interest to researchers, scholars, policy makers and advocates in the fields of education, psychology, sociology, and religious studies.

The aim of this chapter is to highlight some of the fundamental aspects of structure, agency tensions within educational milieux by considering a rational choice analysis of the lifestyle experiences of a group of higher education students of Great Britain. Using empirical evidence gathered as part of a qualitative research project into student lifestyle priorities, the chapter focuses on the themes and issues highlighted by respondents as central to their negotiation of everyday life. Accordingly, student behaviors and actions are examined in terms of the extent to which they may be considered the result of individual intention, purpose and preference or the consequence of external constraint, influence and pressure. It is claimed that rational choice theory can provide the basis of a unified and comprehensive explanation of social behavior. During focus group discussion some students alluded to being coerced into social activity when their own individual preferences were geared more towards academic work, saving money and/or simply "staying in."