Redefining Physical Education and Youth Sports in Higher Education: Sustainable Practices and Contemporary Approaches

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to a Special Issue of the journal Trends in Higher Education entitled “Redefining Physical Education and Youth Sport in Higher Education: Sustainable Practices and Contemporary Approaches”.

This Special Issue seeks to elucidate the potential role of higher education institutions in facilitating the integration of sustainable practices into physical education (PE) and youth sport. Universities and educational institutions function not only as key catalysts for societal transformation but also as essential platforms for shaping the next generation of educators, coaches, and professionals. Through the implementation of innovative pedagogies and transdisciplinary frameworks, higher education can cultivate a more profound understanding of sustainability, equipping students to address complex global challenges in PE and youth sports.

While the theoretical potential of higher education is evident, it is equally imperative to examine current practices of and insights from professionals actively engaged in the field. Higher education must bridge the gap between academic knowledge and practical application, ensuring that the curriculum aligns with the realities professionals encounter in practice.

Within PE teaching, sustainability underlines the importance of investing in complexity thinking approaches for supporting enduring health and well-being for both individuals and communities (Lundvall, 2015). As such, researchers advocate for the incorporation of transdisciplinary perspectives to instructional design, so that learning is aligned to wider societal concerns such as environmental sensibility, social justice, and civic engagement (Bailey et al., 2020). Evidence also indicates that sustainable practices in youth sport are connected to positive youth development (Draper and Coalter, 2016), and enduring societal outcomes (Harwood et al., 2017) related to active engagement, resilience, and physical and socio-affective development (Holt et al., 2017). To achieve this, universities must engage with real-world practices and professional insights, providing students with practical examples of sustainability implementation.

In alignment with the above, the establishment of connections between universities, professional communities, and key stakeholders is proposed as a prerequisite for (re)shaping existing norms and effectively incorporating approaches that can empower children and youth to play an agentic role in fostering a more equitable and sustainable society.

The aim of this Special Issue is to foster a more profound dialog between higher education and professionals in the field, promoting collaboration between academic research and real-world practices. By capturing the perspectives and experiences of those working directly with youth, we aim to create a comprehensive framework for redefining PE teaching and youth sports in ways that promote sustainability, resilience, and well-being.

We welcome contributions from scholars, practitioners, and professionals from diverse disciplines. Submissions may focus on, but are not limited to, the following topics of interest:

• Advocating for transdisciplinary approaches in higher education, to promote sustainable development in PE and sport in local, national, and global communities;
• Sustainable practices for youth development in higher education teaching (e.g., the influence of family, peers, teachers or coaches, friends, schools, etc.);
  • Practitioner training programs as avenues for professional development in PE and sport;
  • Innovative pedagogies as contexts for supporting higher education teaching and learning;
  • Intersectoral strategies to support students and young athletes in PE and sport;
  • Creating enriching environments in PE and sport (e.g., integrating social- and emotional-based programs and teaching models);
  • Multidisciplinary approaches and curriculum models in PE and sport;
  • Professional and scientific communities in teacher education and coach training;
  • Ethics, morality, and the development of values as higher education avenues towards sustainability;
  • Developing physical, mental, and social wellbeing throughout PE and youth sport;
  • Innovative methodological approaches in academic research on physical education and sport;
  • Opinions and reviews to synthesize expert knowledge (e.g., conceptual papers and systematic reviews).

Dr. Aspasia Dania
Guest Editor

Mrs. Kallirroi Ntalachani
Mrs. Vasiliki Evangelou
Mrs. Andriani Kaliva
Guest Editor Assistants

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Trends in Higher Education is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• sustainable youth development
• transdisciplinary approaches in higher education
• well-being
• professional
• scientific and local communities
• enriched learning environments
• practitioner-training
• parental involvement