Children’s experiences of pedagogies that prioritise meaningfulness in primary physical education in Ireland
Ní Chróinín, DéirdreORCID: 0000-0002-0920-980X, Fletcher, TimORCID: 0000-0002-7352-4775, Beni, Stephanie, Griffin, Ciara and Coulter, MauraORCID: 0000-0001-9406-2349
(2021)
Children’s experiences of pedagogies that prioritise meaningfulness in primary physical education in Ireland.
Education 3-13: international journal of primary, elementary and early years education, 51
(1).
pp. 41-54.
ISSN 0300-4279
This research explored the experiences of children (age 9–10) when five Irish generalist primary teachers positioned meaningfulness as the priority filter for their pedagogical decision-making in physical education (n = 37). Pedagogies that support meaningfulness include those that are democratic and reflective, and give attention to individual experiences. Data sources included non-participant observations (n = 10), pupil diary (n = 101) and focus groups (n = 21 in five focus groups). Children’s experiences were enhanced by shared ownership of the learning focus, collaboration on learning activities and teacher’s attention to individual experiences. Results provide direction on a coherent approach to prioritising meaningfulness in primary physical education.