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Globally, nation states have concerns about health, and this has led to a proliferation of initiatives and policies, which either have a direct or indirect influence on education in schools. This article focuses specifically on how China, with the largest public education system in the world, has sought to transform the health of the nation through national curriculum reform informed by policies from other nations, which has significant implications for physical education (PE). Guided by Charmaz's (2014) grounded theory, 22 PE teachers from 13 secondary schools in the north of mainland China were interviewed to provide a unique insight into how changes in curriculum were taken up and responded to. Analysis of data from this study indicated that the demands of implementing the new curriculum have their origins in complexities that go beyond individual teachers' perceptions of health and change. Teachers expressed concerns about the reforms and there were several further contextual factors limiting the realisation of curriculum reform guided by the maxim of 'Health First'. Teachers were uncertain of how to enact changes and reorientate their practices so that they were in line with the expectations of developing health through PE. The development of an examination in PE also strongly influenced the teachers' perceptions of what to prioritise.

Key to the effective enactment of policy and high quality learning and teaching in schools is a contemporary understanding of teachers' beliefs, and an awareness of the professional issues which are particularly important to them. Despite a surge in academic and policy interest in physical education in Scotland, only two studies have examined teachers' views on a range of professional issues in the last 25 years. To address this limitation, researchers at the University of Edinburgh designed the "Professional Issues in Physical Education Survey" (PIPES) which aims to inform and support professional learning and research in physical education in future years. The article reports on the systematic development and piloting of PIPES, and how this reflected in the high degree of consensus the teachers reported for the professional issues identified. Findings indicated that concerns over pupil engagement, subject aims, curriculum time, resources and workload took precedence over more generic curriculum ambitions such as interdisciplinary learning and transitions. In addition, it is anticipated that the methodological groundwork undertaken in PIPES will be helpful in supporting other Anglophone countries to develop similar survey instruments particular to their own contexts.

Background: Curriculum for Excellence, a new national policy initiative in Scottish Schools, provides a unified curricular framework for children aged 3-18. Within this framework, Physical Education (PE) now forms part of a collective alongside physical activity and sport, subsumed by the newly created curriculum area of "Health and Wellbeing" (HWB). This research set out to examine the new curriculum in Scottish schools at the micro-implementation stage of the policy process within the context of practice. Purpose: The primary objective was to understand the factors that enable PE teachers to enact government-led policy in a climate which provided schools and teachers greater autonomy, flexibility and responsibility. The secondary objective was to compare policy constructors' vision of PE to the interpretation of PE teachers who were currently immersed in initiating curricular development. Methods and procedures: The research adopted a mixed method survey approach. Eighty-eight secondary school PE teachers responded to a questionnaire that explored teachers' perceptions of curriculum change. Respondents were full-time PE teachers working in secondary schools across Scotland and represented 16 local authorities. In addition, 17 PE teachers within one local authority took part in semi-structured individual interviews. Comparisons were made with 10 interviews conducted with policy constructors who were responsible for the initial, interim and final stages of developing and designing the PE curriculum. Main outcomes and results: The results from the questionnaire indicated that 66% of teachers believed there was a need for change within the Scottish curriculum; however, only 54% anticipated that they would change the PE curriculum. When comparing PE teachers' and policy constructors' interview responses, a discrepancy between the policy constructors' understanding of the vision of PE and teacher's interpretation was evident. The alignment of PE within HWB was seen as an opportunity to build on the strengths of the subject; however, concerns were raised that this shift may result in PE becoming part of a fitness discourse, distorting policy intentions. Conclusions: The combining factors of teacher agency, culture and social and material structures along with the schools capacity to manage new policy development were seen as crucial in enabling teachers to enact and sustain change. As educational policy draws on teachers' professional capacity to translate, mould and recreate policy uniquely to fit within the opportunities and constraints of the school, it is important that policy intentions, aims and values are not lost in the process.

The positioning of physical education in the school curriculum continues to reflect external discourses circulating in political and social milieu. As increasing austerity measures influence and restrict educational priorities, we consider that there is an urgent need for physical educationalists to articulate a rationale for an educational contribution which is worthy of investment and which avoids the pitfalls of conceptual ambiguity and/or reliance on narrowly drawn health evidence. We, therefore, write as teacher educators, working within a critical framework, who are concerned by the disconnection between competing visions of physical education, when examined from contemporary sociological and philosophical perspectives. With reference to the policy opportunities available in Scotland, we identify how cultivating salutogenic approaches, where a broad, but nevertheless coherent perspective on health and well-being is advanced could offer enhanced prospects for the centrality of physical education in education and schooling. However, apart from the contribution of Quennerstedt, quite how such approaches can be modelled in curriculum has received little critical attention. We see the potential in applying Tiberius's philosophical and social psychological ideas on developing reflective wisdom and of nurturing in education productive experiences which can help pupils deepen their understanding of the health and well-being decisions they make and of the lives they choose to live. After reviewing the contextual influences on policy, we have begun to consider in embryonic terms the methodological possibilities for teachers as insightful and active curriculum decision makers in years to come. We conclude by summarising the benefits of re-conceptualising experiences in physical education in order to help pupils' make informed decisions which are based on enhanced self-awareness and a perspective on the world that views physical education as an essentially optimistic and good endeavour which is worthy of sustained commitment.

The "Curriculum for Excellence" (CfE) guidelines and associated learning experiences and outcomes have been developed following a national debate on the purposes of education in Scotland. The recent development shifts physical education's (PE) role in Scottish education, changing from contributing to the "Expressive Arts" area of the curriculum, to one central to the newly created curriculum area of "Health and wellbeing" in the CfE. This paper provides an analysis of the broader policy context at national and global levels examining the policy developments for PE in Scotland situating them within a globalised discourse emphasising concerns about ill-health and obesity within society. Drawing on the work of Bowe et al., the paper examines the "context of production" and the "context of influence" that has contributed to the recent development of "Health and wellbeing" within the CfE. It is argued that the role for PE and the focus on schools promoting daily physical activity within the CfE masks the complexity of addressing the issues of health and well-being. In conclusion it is highlighted that in the interpretation and implementation of policy there will be further issues for PE and as yet unknown consequences for the "context of practice" and pupils' experiences of PE in Scotland. (Contains 1 table and 3 notes.)

The aims of the study were to use differentiated online learning material for use with a Level 1 statistics module for undergraduate sport students and examine relationships between student performance on differentiated tests and module performance. We developed the differentiated material by writing easy and hard multiple choice tests, with the harder tests having a shorter completion time and more choices. Each multiple choice test related to information available online and immediate feedback was provided on completion of the test. Results indicated that 85% of students accessed the module online, with 26% accessing difficult tests and 22% accessing easy tests. Correlation results indicated that module performance was significantly related to performance on the easy test (r = 0.27, P less than 0.01) and also on the harder test (r = 0.26, P less than 0.01). Findings suggest that lecturers should encourage students to engage with interactive material and that future research should explore methods to enhance students' independent learning skills. (Contains 2 tables.)

Having a disability and being a teacher can be a critical site for examining practices associated with ability, competence, and pedagogy. While there is a growing literature base that examines the experiences of students with disabilities in physical education, there is virtually no research that examines the experiences of physical education teachers with disabilities. Using the capability approach, this article explores the experiences of a physical education teaching intern with a physical disability, significant school members, and the students he interacted with through interviews and documents. The results yielded 3 primary themes. The first, “the fluid nature of the disability discourse,” demonstrated the complexity of disability and explored the contrast between static tendencies that stereotype disability and the disability experience. The second theme, “doing things my way,” reflected the intern’s need to distinguish himself as a teacher by defining contexts for experiencing competence. The third and final theme, “agent of change,” explored how the intern’s experiences as a teacher with a disability informed his educational narrative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on learning support given to students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in physical education. Topics discussed include struggles of students with ASD in physical education which include communication, sensory overload, and transitions between activites. It also mentions the quality of teachers in the adaption of practical task for the students.

The present study investigated self-efficacy to use research methods skills in samples of sport students. Two studies were conducted. Study 1 was a quantitative study that investigated the extent to which self-esteem influenced changes in self-efficacy following the receipt of grades for an assignment from a research methods module. Ninety-seven Level 2 students completed a self-esteem scale and a self-efficacy scale at the start of a research methods module with additional self-efficacy measures being taken a week before coursework submission, and a week after the assignment was returned. Self-esteem and assignment grades were dichotomised into high and low groups using a median split. Repeated measures analysis of variance indicated a significant interaction effect, whereby individuals high in self-esteem protect self-efficacy more than individuals low in self-esteem following poor performance. Study 2 involved focus group interviews with undergraduate (n = 4) and postgraduate (n= 6) students. Seven key themes emerged from the data: difficulty of research methods; enthusiasm for learning research methods; teaching and learning in research methods; curriculum design; independent learning; importance of the dissertation, and coping with dissertation stress. The findings show that students experience difficulty internalising key research methods skills from Level 1 and 2 modules, and that this contributes towards making the dissertation an extremely challenging module. The emphasis on independent learning within the dissertation module exacerbates the importance of knowing how to use research skills, and a perceived inability to do this appears to cause stress. Collectively, both studies show that developing confidence in the ability to perform key research skills is important for success. Lecturers should be encouraged to design research methods modules that enable all students to experience mastery of research skills. Students should be encouraged to apply research skills across modules, to reinforce and strengthen their knowledge, which in turn should enhance self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]