Physical education across the international media: A five year analysis

Physical Education across the global media: A five year analysis Authors: Hyndman, Suesee, Cruickshank, McMaster, Harvey, Pill, Baldock, Lynch, Jefferson-Buchanan, Ingram, Whatman Background The message of physical education has been one of a ‘contested ground’ with regular debate around its purpose, alongside conceptual confusions (Hyndman & Pill, 2018). There has been professional debate between the use of physical education (PE) v physical literacy, merging of curricular physical/health education, modern pedagogical shifts to more authentic PE (Hyndman & Pill, 2018) and educational perceptions of a subject solely focused ‘on the body’ (Dodd, 2015). This can paint a broader picture that the PE profession can be seen as confused with both its purpose and message. A major channel of communication that strongly influences public perceptions is through mainstream media (McCombs, 2014), yet how media platforms have reported on the PE profession has received scarce research attention. The aim of this research was to investigate international media reporting of PE over a five year period. Methods To unearth key concepts and themes emerging from the international PE media (English speaking), researchers conducted a Leximancer text mining analysis of media articles published via the Google News function between January 2013 to March 2018. The inclusion criteria for the media were: (1) media articles specifically on PE as a concept; (2) the concept PE was included in the title; (3) the media was in the field of school PE (not sport coaching); (4) PE was a dominant focus or theme throughout the article; (5) the article was accessible online. Results Media articles on PE over the five year period ranged between 26 to 40 articles per year and were reported across 17 English speaking countries (USA being the most dominant). Preliminary findings will be showcased on the overall concepts and themes emerging across the five year period (and according to location), alongside interpretive insights. Conclusion Media articles on PE over the five year period ranged between 26 to 40 articles per year and were reported across 17 English speaking countries (USA being the most dominant). Preliminary findings will be showcased on the overall concepts and themes emerging across the five year period (and according to location), alongside interpretive insights. Conclusion Unpacking conceptual and thematic insight into how the PE profession has been reported into the public sphere can shed light on key trends and influences that have been communicated to the public across global contexts. Such insight can showcase whether such PE media reporting in the media is consistent, desired or aligned with how the PE profession strives to establish its message with the broader public. References Dodd, G. D. (2015). The unrealised value of human motion–‘moving back to movement!’. Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education, 6(2), 191-213. Hyndman, B., & Pill, S. (2018). What’s in a concept? A Leximancer text mining analysis of physical literacy across the international literature. European Physical Education Review, 24(3). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1356336X17690312 McCombs, M. (2018). Setting the agenda: Mass media and public opinion. John Wiley & Sons.