Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy Workforce Research and Development by Hal A Lawson

Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy Workforce Research and Development by Hal A Lawson

This is the first book to examine physical education from the perspective of workforce research and development. It adopts a whole system approach—including schools, higher education and public policy—to advance an action‑oriented framework for meeting the needs, challenges and opportunities of the global physical education profession.

Presenting a new framework for research and continuous improvement, this book focuses on the physical education workforce, and the workforce system, as a key social determinant of new program design and implementation, and therefore of better outcomes for children and young people. Including the voices of higher education faculty, in-service physical education practitioners and professional association leaders, this book explains how specialized workforce components such as teacher education, school programs, doctoral programs and public policy are inter‑related, and takes a close look at how a workforce R&D approach can shine new light on physical education across the globe, including in-depth case studies from North and South America, Europe, Asia and Oceania. The final section of this book presents comparative analysis, considers lessons learned and outlines an agenda, which will empower readers to participate in and lead workforce development initiatives.

Combining practical guidance and thorough research, this book is fascinating reading for any advanced student, researcher, in‑service teacher or policymaker with an interest in physical education, coaching children in sport, teacher education, international education or education policy.

Hal A. Lawson is Professor of Social Welfare and Educational Policy and Leadership at the University at Albany-SUNY, USA. He is an interdisciplinary scholar with expertise in physical education, public health, social welfare and educational leadership/policy. His experiences and achievements span 50 years in five North American universities, and his pioneering work on teacher socialization and occupational socialization overall has continued to garner interest as others advance it.

Emily M. Jones is Professor of physical education teacher education at Illinois State University, USA. Her research focuses on school and community-based wellness initiatives utilizing systems thinking and community engaged frameworks, as well as examining factors associated with recruitment and retention into health and physical education professions. She has secured and served as principle or co-principle investigator on over $1 million of extramural funding to support the intersection of her research agendas.

Kevin Andrew Richards is Associate Professor of physical education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA. His primary research focuses on understanding the recruitment, education, and career-long socialization of physical education teachers and physical activity providers. He is also interested in the integration of social and emotional learning in physical education and activity settings. Richards is Editor of the Journal of Teaching in Physical Education.