The impact of the outsourcing of Health and Physical Education on curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment

Background Health and Physical Education (HPE) futures are currently the focus of much speculation. The outsourcing of curricular work to external agencies is one such change that is already influencing HPE. There is, however,... [ view full abstract ]

Background

Health and Physical Education (HPE) futures are currently the focus of much speculation. The outsourcing of curricular work to external agencies is one such change that is already influencing HPE. There is, however, currently a dearth of information on how HPE curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment are being shaped by the interests, agendas, and knowledge of external agencies as well as the pedagogical experiences of students in externally provided HPE lessons and their perspectives on outsourcing.

Purpose

This paper seeks to examine how partnering with external agencies impacts curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment within HPE as well as how students view the involvement of external agencies in the subject.

Methods

Data were generated about one external organisation, Tennis Australia, through Internet searches, which included collecting their advertising, product materials, and teacher resources; and a semi-structured group interview with three of their employees. A critical discourse analysis was undertaken on these data sources. A co-educational secondary school in Australia employing Tennis Australia products was then selected and semi-structured individual interviews with four school staff, focus groups with 25 Year Eight students, and observations of externally provided lessons were completed. This school data was then thematically analysed. Both analyses were informed by Bernsteinian theory.

Findings and Conclusion

While Tennis Australia worked to align their product with the HPE curricular requirements, they also brought specific interests and agendas into the subject. HPE teachers, therefore, need to be enacting their pedagogical and curriculum expertise to bridge, broker, and translate knowledge from external agencies. Further, they must also listen and respond to students’ perspectives on the outsourcing of HPE as students raised significant pedagogical and ethical issues relating to teaching and learning in their externally provided HPE classes. Together, this new knowledge can facilitate the creation of policy guidelines on the outsourcing of HPE curricular work.