View article

This book is based on the premise that physical education phenomena are inherently complex and explores the possible relevancies that complexity thinking may have for the field of physical education. In one sense, complexity has always confronted those working in physical education. The issue is not that educational phenomena are complex, but about the appropriateness of the frameworks we use to make sense of the ‘messiness’ that is inherent in complex educational settings. As the subheading of this book indicates, complexity offers the opportunity to question how we frame the issues central to curriculum, pedagogy and research in physical education. The idea of frame draws attention to the interpretative process involved in constructing meaning or making sense of the world. Frames are tacit perceptual mechanisms that transform the unfamiliar into meaningful and normative categories (Lawson, 1984 …