The educational value of pedagogical models in physical education : A didaktik perspective

The overall interest of this thesis is to contribute to knowledge about the educational value of pedagogical models in physical education (PE) from a didaktik perspective. The exploration comprises four papers, divided into two studies. The first study is a scoping review investigating various models and how teachers are positioned within this body of literature. The second study involves a pedagogical intervention where four teachers across five classes and 101 students enacted the practising model. This intervention integrates an Englishspeaking curriculum tradition (pedagogical models) with a Scandinavian/German didaktik tradition (Swedish PE). Practising as a phenomenon is also discussed from various perspectives, including a general didaktik perspective. A shared theme across all papers is scepticism towards considering models as a set of practices that can only be employed in a specific way. In this light, the didaktik perspective shows that models influence teaching identities in ways that may restrict pedagogical flexibility. Consequently, teachers must have autonomy over educational aspects such as content, teaching practices, and learning processes. However, the degree of freedom teachers should have becomes a core aspect of debate when traditions of curriculum and didaktik meet. Still, when viewing the potential of pedagogical models, these might be crucial to use if teachers are to move away from the dominant sport-based multi-activity approach, in which learning is not always foregrounded. Finally, several potential educational values are associated with enacting pedagogical models in PE; for example, enabling new pedagogical practices that emphasise learning by providing time and structured efforts. These pedagogical models also offer opportunities for Bildung for both students and teachers.