Equity and Inclusion in Physical Education: Challenging Power Structures and Fostering Equal Opportunities for Diverse Students

Dear Colleagues,

Global demands to ensure inclusive and equitable education, such as those formulated in UNESCO's fourth Sustainable Development Goal, are relevant to all areas of school education. Physical education (PE), which deals specifically with the physical aspects of human existence, plays an important role in this context. It has the potential to initiate educationally relevant experiences of emotional, social and health-related significance, which are of great importance in today’s society. At the same time, however, international research shows that discriminatory potential often unfolds in the context of PE, precisely because of the special reference to the body. Existing power structures appear to be reproduced here through body- and performance-related norms (e.g., heteronormative, ableist ideas). As a result, PE risks (re)producing discriminatory practices.

It is advisable for PE research to question existing power structures and find ways to promote equal opportunities. Therefore, in this Special Issue, original research articles (qualitative, quantitative and theoretical) in the following three areas are welcome:

• Fundamental diversity and inclusion issues in PE:
• (Re)production of power structures;
• Discriminatory potentials and/or practices;
• Diverse experiences with diverse bodies;
• …
• Intersectionality in PE:
• Intersectionality as a phenomenon;
• Diversity categories and their intersections;
• Diversity categories and their connection to power structures;
• …
• Promoting equity in PE:
• Insights into overcoming discriminatory power structures and promoting equal opportunities;
• Conceptual approaches to equity and inclusion;
• Equity and inclusion in the education of physical education teachers;
• …

The articles could be (but are not limited to) within the following categories:

• Qualitative research on diversity and intersectionality in PE;
• Qualitative research on subject-specific aspects (e.g., body and performance relatedness);
• Quantitative research on equity and inclusion in PE;
• Theoretical work on diversity, intersectionality, equity and inclusion in PE;
• Curriculum analysis on diversity, equity and inclusion in PE;
• Theoreti­cally founded conceptual work on the promotion of equality and inclusion in PE.

Yours faithfully,

Prof. Dr. Sebastian Ruin
Guest Editor

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• equity
• inclusion
• diversity
• power structures
• physical education
• body