How do children and young people experience and understand sport and physical activity? What value do they attach to physical education and physical literacy? This important new book attempts to engage more directly than ever before with the experiences of young people by placing the voices of the young people themselves at the centre of the discussion. As the need to listen to young people becomes increasingly enshrined in public policy and political debate, this book illuminates our understanding of an important aspect of the everyday lives of many young people.

With contributions from leading researchers and educationalists from around the world, the book draws on a diverse range of methodological and theoretical perspectives to demonstrate how we can better understand the unique perspectives of young people, how teachers and coaches can respond to and engage with the voices of young people, and how young people can be afforded opportunities to shape their education and leisure experiences. The book presents a fascinating range of case studies from around the world, including the experiences of African American girls and masculine sporting identities in Australia, and addresses both theoretical and policy debates. Young People’s Voices in Physical Education and Youth Sport is essential reading for any serious student or professional with an interest in PE, youth sport, sports development, sports coaching, physical activity and health, education or youth work.

Contents

Introduction: Revisioning Young People’s Voices in Physical Education and Sport Part 1: Exploring Voice in Different Settings 1. Students’ Evolving Meanings and Experiences with Physical Activity and Sport 2. The Body, Physical Activity and Inequity: Learning to Listen with Girls through Action 3. Students’ Curricular Values and Experiences Part 2: Multiple Identities Of Adolescent Populations 4. Finding Their Voice: Disaffected Youth Insights on Sport/Physical Activity InterventiUsing Ethnography to Explore The Experiences Of A Student With Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Physical Education 6. Hypermasculinity in Schools: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 7. Looking Back, Looking Sideways: Adult Perspectives about Student Experiences of Queerness in Canadian Physical Education Part 3: Theoretical Frames and Methodological Approaches 8. Push Play Every Day: New Zealand Children’s Constructions of Health and Physical Activity 9. "Carving A New Order" of Experience With Young People in Physical Education: Participatory Action Research as a Pedagogy of Possibility 10. Got The Picture? Exploring Student Sport Experiences Using Photography as Voice Epilogue Hearing, Listening and Acting