Inclusion and equity in HPE policy and practice: An evaluation of school responses within three Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) primary schools.

摘要

The 1999 Queensland P-10 Health and Physical Education syllabus adopted a socio-cultural approach to learning, underpinned by social justice principles which include diversity, equity and supportive environments. This approach has afforded HPE even greater relevance in Catholic schools. Successful implementation of inclusion and equity within the syllabus requires teachers to have an understanding of various pedagogies and an awareness of when to choose the most appropriate. This research has been designed within a constructionist paradigm. An interpretivist study was conducted employing symbolic interactionism. This qualitative, interpretive study is most appropriate as meanings were constructed. The case study methodology was chosen to construct meaning through capturing the context of each school. The sites for the three case studies involved: one small sized Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) primary school (less than 200 students); one medium sized BCE primary school (200 - 400 students); and one large sized BCE primary school (over 400 students). The participants included teachers and students from the respective schools. The data gathering strategies used were; semistructured and focus group interviews, reflective journal note taking, observations, questionnaire and document analysis. The research revealed that school principals play a significant role in the implementation of the 1999 HPE syllabus and the social justice principles it entails, a role made more imperative by the absence of BCE HPE Curriculum Officers and systemic HPE professional development. The data generated in this small-scale sample suggests that the HPE key learning area requires further system level support and attention so that the social justice principles promoted in various national, state and systemic policies can be implemented successfully in all BCE primary schools.