Conceptualising examinable physical education in the Irish context: the development of Leaving Certificate Physical Education

Background: The objective of the study was to explore the representation of groups (and individuals within those groups) involved in the development of the Leaving Certificate Physical Education (LCPE) curriculum, an... [ view full abstract ]

Background: The objective of the study was to explore the representation of groups (and individuals within those groups) involved in the development of the Leaving Certificate Physical Education (LCPE) curriculum, an examination subject in Irish post-primary schools. This study is timely due to the national interest in the LCPE subject development in Ireland and complements work undertaken on the development of policy in examinable physical education internationally (Brown & Penney, 2017; MacPhail, 2007; Thornburn, 2007).

Methods: Goodson’s (1983) work on the construction of a school subject was the underpinning framework for the study. Drawing on figurational sociology (Elias, 1978; 1994; van Krieken, 1998), the process in which the members interacted with each other and other influential groups of people, and how this effected the conceptualisation of the LCPE curriculum, was explored. Interviews were conducted with ten stakeholders who were purposively chosen due to their membership in the LCPE Development Group. The constant comparative method was used to analyse the data.

Results: Political processes of contributing to the development of the LCPE curriculum were predominantly determined by individuals, social process were determined by familiarity (or not) with each stakeholder, some stakeholders’ privileged knowledge resulted in stronger contributions and there was a deep (but limited) professional learning community across the stakeholders.

Conclusions: Such observations encourage further interrogation of the position of individuals and groups in curriculum development, and provides significant points for discussion for those charged with establishing groups of individuals (representing an array of agencies) to advise on curriculum development.