How will Sport Science and
Physical Education Continue to Evolve over the Next Decade?
Dr. Michael G. Davis, CEO of AAHPERD
Dr. Keith Henschen, Past President of AAHPERD
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This is a very intriguing question and we wish we had a definitive answer but
our crystal ball is based only on our ability to read the trends that seem to
be indicating the future. Furthermore, to even begin to discuss the future of
anything is rather a daunting, if not arrogant task. Yet, we would hasten to
state that without trying to do this we lost control of our destiny.
We believe that there are actually two directions that
Physical Education and the Sport Sciences can take during the next decade; (1)
perpetuation of those programs that have no justification for existence and
the continual fragmentation of our professions, or (2) an exciting and innovative
rejuvenation which will meet the needs of civilization in general.
We do not expect the stagnation and fragmentation to continue
but it is a possibility if members of our profession continue to ignore the
fact that they we are in this malaise. We do not wish to be negative; but unless
Physical Education and the Sport Sciences recognize that their very existence
is in question and subsequently take action to rectify the situation, then we
will be courting big trouble. In other words, we cannot continue to „do
business as usual“; rather we must employ a different strategic plan in
order to evolve in a positive direction.
The Positive Vision for Physical Education and
the Sport Sciences
We actually are quite optimistic concerning how the Sport
Sciences and Physical Education will evolve during the next decade. We envisiage
a dynamic rebirth of the discipline of Physical Education that will eventually
look and act quite differently than how it is now functioning. Physical Education
will evolve into a discipline that the general public will embrace because it
will be scientifically sound (based on the Sport Sciences) and marketed so that
all individuals will want it as part of their living behavior. It will become
health and wellness grounded instead of being athletically based. It will have
fewer competitive activities, but many more cooperative activities designed
to be pleasurable learning experiences and to enhance socially acceptable behaviors.
Due to a lack of attention to the need to market the importance
of what we do by Physical Education and the Sport Science professional, todays’
children have become disproportionately unfit and unhealthy. A recent book,
Food Fight by Kelly Brownell from Yale University who is an expert on nutrition
and obesity, emphasizes the fact that our children today might be the first
generation in recent history that are apt to live shorter lives than their parents
due to their poor diets.
Also, because of the emphasis on athletic competition,
too many of our children have adopted behaviors that indicate they no longer
know how or desire to play productively with each other. Ask any elementary
teacher and they will tell you that children do not interact well with each
other. Sportsmanship and cooperation are concepts, which they no longer manifest.
The reason for these behaviors is simple. These types of negative characteristics
correspond directly with the elimination of elementary Physical Education from
the public school curriculum (especially in North America). Contemporary children
do not receive exposure to Physical Education until they reach junior high school
or high school. Of course, by the time they are actually exposed to Physical
Education it is often too late to change the detrimental habits and behaviors
many have acquired. During these early developmental years, children are being
bombarded with athletic competition outside of the school curriculum. As now
constituted, Physical Education is frequently not attractive enough to successfully
compete with athletics. The stark reality is that every person needs quality
physical education, but only a few physically gifted young people need to pursue
athletics.
Not only do we envision a return to mandatory elementary
physical education grounded on the sound principles of the Sport Sciences, but
we also anticipate a complete separation of Physical Education from athletics.
Physical Education and the Sport Sciences will eventually form a more perfect
union with the common mission of enhancing the physical, emotional, and cognitive
well being of all peoples of the world. The highly competitive athletic world
has a completely different agenda which is opposite of Physical Education’s
mission. Athletics is for entertainment and is only for the highly proficient.
Along with the previously mentioned separation will come the eventuality of
Physical Education professionals refusing to coach athletic teams. The goals
of these two occupations are so diverse that soon physical educators will teach
coaches the Sport Sciences but not actually coach themselves.
We understand that what we are proposing is somewhat revolutionary,
but the situation needs to change or Physical Education will likely evolve into
extinction. This would be a sad circumstance because Physical Education is the
source of the wealth of scientifically sound information contained in the Sport
Sciences. When physical educators are no longer available, who will disseminate
the sport science knowledge that is so vital to all of us? Sport Science practitioners
are very limited to their specialties and not eclectic enough to provide the
information in a practical manner. Physical educators must learn to meet society
where it is and then take it where it must go. Physical educators must learn
to be proactive and take a greater role in their destiny. Furthermore, the contributions
from Physical Education and Sport Sciences are needed now more than ever due
to the increase in disease and death due to lifestyle choices (e.g., obesity,
smoking, and lack of physical activity).
Other Necessary Changes
We have already discussed a few changes that are in the future of Physical Education
and the Sport Sciences:
- Focusing on a quality elementary physical education.
- Separating physical education from athletics other than having the physical
educators teaching coaches the sport sciences.
- Using sport science research for the benefit of all mankind.
We have a number of other ideas/suggestions, which will
become reality in the near future.
- Using the technology of the Sport Sciences for the betterment
of all of society. Technology appears to be a double-edged sword because as
technology continues to improve, there also seems to be some hidden consequences
that are the results of these technological advances. There is little question
that technology contributes to a greater level of affluence and comfort for
most of us. We are required to do less and less physical labor and one consequence
of this is that we have engineered physical activity out of our lives. In
fact, we are now enjoying the greatest comfort level ever to be found on earth!
This is good – right? The answer to this query is both yes and no! Unquestionable,
we have an easier lifestyle but at a significant cost to our health. It is
definitely positive that technology has increased progress to the point where
it is making life less strenuous in many areas; but it is equally negative
in that the human animal has yet to figure out how to best utilize the technology
for the betterment of all mankind. We seem to use all technology for entertainment,
pleasure, or war. This situation has contributed greatly to our species virtual
survival. We now reside in a world where we are able to communicate, travel,
and produce products with exceptional speed and precision, but conversely
we are much more stressed and unhealthy than ever before. The leading causes
of death are cancer, heart failure, and casualties due to faulty technology.
These causes of death are directly associated with drastic changes in our
lifestyles and environment. Subsequently, we currently are part of the most
obese (and unhealthy) civilization to ever populate this planet. The state
of the world is technologically advanced, but physically retarded. As society
degenerates from a wellness and fitness perspective, the answers/solutions
to these problems have already been discovered in the Sport Sciences and being
disseminated by Physical Education, but few are listening. This situation
leads to the second necessary change we envision occurring in the decade to
come.
- Increasing the sophistication of the messages of
both Physical Education and the Sport Sciences through advocacy. Physical
Education and the Sport Sciences need to forge a solid alliance that embraces
a common purpose/mission. In this particular situation our colleges and universities
might have confused the general public with so many name changes that seem
to be unrelated to the core purposes of Physical Education.
Yet public schools still require Physical Education not kinesiology, exercise
and sport science, human movement, etc. The credibility of our profession has
not been enhanced by all of these name changes and fragmentation of our curricular
offerings. At many colleges and universities many professors are so specialized
that they no longer appear to want to be associated with the physical education
profession. Research in the sport sciences should focus on sport research instead
of attempting to parallel medical school research.
- Present (advocate) a unified interdisciplinary approach. Yes, the sport
sciences (kinesiology, biomechanics, motor learning, sport psychology, sport
nutrition, and exercise physiology) should all be important components of
a strong physical education curriculum. The problem is that all of the above
have become so specialized that it is difficult, if not impossible, to see
how they related to one another. We are producing specialists instead of generalists
and the specialists are so narrow they have very little interest or knowledge
for the overall profession.
- We need to demand an increased commitment to excellence. Not a specialized
excellence (i.e. the oxidization capabilities of an adult rat muscle), but
a more general excellence that is meaningful to all humans. We envision greater
attention to standards and assessment that are individualized and meaningful.
We need to cease relying on how fast a 10-12 year old can run a mile as an
indication of fitness. This is more like punishment than a meaningful and
uplifting experience to motivate someone to be active. We need to ensure that
all of our students have comprehensive understanding of what it takes to have
a healthy lifestyle and develop a commitment to an active lifestyle.
- Develop a closer alignment with healthcare issues. Where Physical Education
and Health Science have tended to be separated from one another, we think
in the future they will once again reunite in a meaningful relationship. Both
professions have common goals/issues such as the pursuit of wellness, the
cost of healthcare, and obesity concerns. Isn’t Health Science an integral
component of sport science? Historically, Health Science separated from Physical
Education and the Sport Sciences because Physical Education was too dominating
and unwilling to address some of society’s health issues; but that is
no longer the case. Health Science and the other Sport Sciences will in the
near future collaborate on many issues instead of acting like two ships passing
in the night. Could it also be that Sport and Exercise Physiology and the
pursuit of wellness have some interests in common?
- In today’s world, it is the profession (and individuals) who manifests
an entrepreneurial attitude and a commitment to innovation that will be successful.
We in Physical Education and the Sport Sciences have kind of stayed in the
background and naively reassured ourselves that we had the answers and that
what we were doing was right. Well, guess what? We only have a few of the
answers and because of how we are doing things, the world is rapidly passing
us by. Research is essential to advance any profession. However, there must
be a consciencous leap from the esoteric to the practical. We envision a future
where research and practice come together to improve our professions and better
our society.
In summary, Physical Education ad the Sport Sciences are
in the right place at the right time, but we are struggling because we have
given society a mixed message (or no message), we have fractionalized ourselves
in ways that lessen our effectiveness to the greater whole, and we have been
less than sophisticated in marketing the many contributions we are making and
can make to the future of society.
Society is begging for what we have to offer. We believe
that the innovators of our profession will shed the cloak of tradition and present
new ways to influence society with our current and future knowledge. The key
may be to go back to the beginning and start with the youth. Teaching elementary
physical education with a foundation of „sport“ (instead of athletics),
emphasis on developing the knowledge and skills needed to live a healthy, active
lifestyle with an eye towards healthcare issues through entrepreneurial techniques
is our vision. Technology, advocacy, and better marketing techniques will be
the tools of our evolution.
Dr. Keith Hensdhen
Email: khensche@msn.com
http://www.icsspe.org/portal/bulletin-january2004.htm
How will Sport Science and
Physical Education Continue to Evolve over the Next Decade?
Dr. Michael G. Davis, CEO of AAHPERD
Dr. Keith Henschen, Past President of AAHPERD
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