ABSTRACT

This paper investigates beginning BSc Physical Education (PE) students’ views and experiences of the outsourcing of PE in the UK. Outsourcing involves the provision of PE by external providers such as sports coaches. PE in the UK (and other neoliberal Western contexts) is a site in which outsourcing has become increasingly normalised. I anticipated that, as first year undergraduates, the participants would have relatively recent experience of outsourcing as pupils/students (i.e. experience of receiving outsourced PE provision). Data were generated through written narratives (n = 16), completed on the participants’ first day at university, and follow-up semi-structured interviews (n = 10). Drawing on a Foucaultian theoretical framework, I employed a poststructural type of discourse analysis concerned with analysing patterns in language. Referring to PE, the participants drew heavily on a sport discourse, often conflating PE and sport and emphasising the necessity of teachers having knowledge and experience of sports content and skills, as well as a pedagogical discourse (and, to a lesser extent, a ‘healthy lifestyles’ discourse). The participants had a range of experiences of outsourcing in PE, particularly at primary level. They were in favour of primary PE being taught by either specialist PE teachers, or sports coaches (rather than generalist teachers alone). They spoke positively about their experiences of external provision at both primary and secondary school. While few critical comments were provided, participants raised concerns about external providers’ pedagogical knowledge, and some questioned if teachers might feel devalued by external providers being brought in to teach aspects of their curriculum. In general, while the participants recognised teachers’ pedagogical expertise, they also valued external providers’ perceived content knowledge and sporting experience. As such, by conflating PE and sport, they considered that PE should be taught by sport ‘experts’ and that external providers could enhance schools’ internal capabilities.

摘要

本文调查了初学 BSc 体育 (PE) 学生对英国体育外包的看法和经验。外包涉及体育教练等外部供应商提供体育运动。英国（以及其他新自由主义西方环境）的 PE 是一个外包越来越正常化的场所。我预计，作为一年级本科生，参与者将具有相对较新的外包学生/学生的经验（即接受外包体育提供的经验）。数据是通过书面叙述（n  = 16）生成的，在参与者上大学的第一天完成，以及后续的半结构化访谈（n = 10)。借鉴福柯的理论框架，我采用了一种与分析语言模式有关的后结构式话语分析。谈到体育，参与者大量使用体育话语，经常将体育和体育混为一谈，并强调教师必须具备体育内容和技能的知识和经验，以及教学话语（在较小程度上，“健康生活方式的话语）。参与者有一系列的 PE 外包经验，尤其是在初级阶段。他们赞成由专业体育教师或体育教练（而不是仅由通才教师）教授初级体育。他们积极地谈论了他们在中小学外部提供的经验。虽然提供的批评意见很少，与会者对外部提供者的教学知识提出了担忧，一些人质疑教师是否会因为被引入外部提供者来教授其课程的各个方面而感到贬值。一般来说，虽然参与者认可教师的教学专业知识，但他们也重视外部提供者的感知内容知识和运动经验。因此，通过将体育和体育混为一谈，他们认为体育应该由体育“专家”教授，而外部提供者可以增强学校的内部能力。他们还重视外部供应商的感知内容知识和运动经验。因此，通过将体育和体育混为一谈，他们认为体育应该由体育“专家”教授，而外部提供者可以增强学校的内部能力。他们还重视外部供应商的感知内容知识和运动经验。因此，通过将体育和体育混为一谈，他们认为体育应该由体育“专家”教授，而外部提供者可以增强学校的内部能力。