Compatibility of physical education curricula with physical literacy across 40 European countries

  • Johannes Carl (Corresponding Author)
  • , H. Goss
  • , S. Lundvall
  • , I. Pavlova
  • , B. Algurén
  • , B. Antala
  • , G. Bartle
  • , J. Birch
  • , V. Black
  • , A.S. Bryant
  • , J. Carlos-Vivas
  • , E. Christodoulides
  • , J.G. Cowley
  • , T. Csányi
  • , K. De Martelaer
  • , A. Emeljanovas
  • , G. Eren
  • , Andra Fernāte
  • , L. Foweather
  • , B. Gilic
  • T. Gisladottir, N. Green, D. Groffik, S. Heck, I. van Hilvoorde, M. Huhtiniemi, T.M. Iconomescu, J. Jaunig, E. Jones, G. Jurak, A. Kelso, Andre Koka , C. Kreinbucher-Bekerle, I. Laudańska-Krzemińska, J. Martins, B. Masanovic, P. McFlynn, M. McKee, P.S. Melby, M. Mendoza-Muñoz, B. Mieziene, I. Milanović, E. Mileva, A. Mouton, I. Müller, Z. Németh, W. O’Brien, B.S. Olaru, P. Petrytsa, M. Onofre, M. Pihu, B. Popeska, S. Popovic, A. Poweleit, S. Radisavljević Janić, V. Riga, C. Schnitzler, D. Sekulic, M. Semyonova, A.S. Singh, B. Smila, O. Tsivitanidou, C. Töpfer, J. Vašíčková, F. Venetsanou, Ø. Winje, V. Zito, G. Yıldızer, P. Elsborg, C. D’Anna, P. Vlček, K. Salin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Although the student-centred concept of physical literacy (PL) has been emphasized by UNESCO, knowledge about its adoption/implementation into PE remains scant. Therefore, the goal of this study was to evaluate and compare the compatibility of PE curricula with PL in Europe. We collaboratively gathered a panel of experts encompassing 40 European countries. In the first step, the experts were invited to freely specify the compatibility of country’s PE curricula with PL. The reports were subjected to six-step reflexive thematic analysis. In the second step, we theoretically derived, psychometrically explored, and descriptively analysed 15 curricular-didactical items, each containing a spectrum of statements with high versus no/insufficient PL compatibility. We synthesized both data sources following an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. While few PE curricula explicitly adhered to PL in Europe, most documents exhibited content and aims marking elements of PL. However, we registered large differences in PL-compatibility between four European regions for the deep structure of the curricula (η2=.27, p=.01). While the quantitative survey suggested no differences in PL compatibility between anglophone versus non-anglophone countries, the qualitative material revealed conceptual and terminological challenges across Europe. The European countries have hesitantly followed the UNESCO call to align PE with the holistic PL concept.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-21
Number of pages21
JournalJournal of Curriculum Studies
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Aug 2025

Keywords*

  • learning
  • policy
  • teaching
  • physical activity
  • mixed methods

Field of Science*

  • 3.3 Health sciences
  • 5.3 Educational sciences

Publication Type*

  • 1.1. Scientific article indexed in Web of Science and/or Scopus database

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  • Country-Specific Descriptions on the Compatibility of Current Physical Education with the Concept of Physical Literacy

    Carl, J. (Creator), Goss, H. (Creator), Salin, K. (Creator), Lundvall, S. (Creator), Pavlova, I. (Creator), Algurén, B. (Creator), Antala, B. (Creator), Bartle, G. (Creator), Birch, J. (Creator), Black, V. (Creator), Bryant, A. (Creator), Carlos-Vivas, J. (Creator), Christodoulides, E. (Creator), Cowley, J. (Creator), Csányi, T. (Creator), De Martelaer, K. (Creator), Emeljanovas, A. (Creator), Eren, G. (Creator), Fernāte, A. (Creator), Foweather, L. (Creator), Gilic, B. (Creator), Gisladottir, T. (Creator), Green, N. (Creator), Groffik, D. (Creator), Heck, S. (Creator), van Hilvoorde, I. (Creator), Huhtiniemi, M. (Creator), Iconomescu, T.-M. (Creator), Jaunig, J. (Creator), Vlček, P. (Creator), D'Anna, C. (Creator), Elsborg, P. (Creator), Zito, V. (Creator), Yıldızer, G. (Creator), Winje, Ø. (Creator), Venetsanou, F. (Creator), Vašíčková, J. (Creator), Tsivitanidou, O. (Creator), Töpfer, C. (Creator), Smila, B. (Creator), Singh, A. (Creator), Semyonova, M. (Creator), Sekulic, D. (Creator), Schnitzler, C. (Creator), Radisavljević Janić, S. (Creator), Riga, V. (Creator), Poweleit, A. (Creator), Popovic, S. (Creator), Popeska, B. (Creator), Pihu, M. (Creator), Petrytsa, P. (Creator), Onofre, M. (Creator), Olaru, B. S. (Creator), O'Brien, W. (Creator), Németh, Z. (Creator), Mouton, A. (Creator), Mileva, E. (Creator), Milanović, I. (Creator), Mieziene, B. (Creator), Müller, I. (Creator), Mendoza-Muñoz, M. (Creator), Melby, P. S. (Creator), McKee, M. (Creator), McFlynn, P. (Creator), Masanovic, B. (Creator), Martins, J. (Creator), Laudańska-Krzemińska, I. (Creator), Kreinbucher-Bekerle, C. (Creator), Koka , A. (Creator), Kelso, A. (Creator), Jurak, G. (Creator) & Jones, E. (Creator), The Open Science Framework, 21 Jun 2025

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