Cultural Diversity in PE

Diversity

The inclusion of individuals from various backgrounds, including different races, ethnicities, genders, abilities, and experiences.

Culture

The shared beliefs, customs, values, and behaviors of a group of people.

Material Culture

The physical objects, resources, and spaces that people use to define their culture.

Non-material Culture

The intangible aspects of a culture, such as beliefs, values, norms, and symbols.

Social Construction of Difference

The concept that differences among groups are created and maintained through social processes, rather than biological differences.

Learning and Unlearning Constructs

The processes involved in acquiring and shedding biases, stereotypes, and discriminatory behaviors.

Stereotype

An oversimplified and fixed idea about a group of people, often leading to prejudiced attitudes.

Race/Ethnicity

Social categories that group individuals based on shared physical characteristics or cultural heritage.

Social Justice

The pursuit of equality and fairness in societal systems and institutions.

Privilege

Unearned advantages or rights afforded to certain groups based on characteristics such as race or gender.

Prejudice

A preconceived opinion or judgment about an individual or group that is not based on reason or actual experience.

Patriarchy

A social system in which men hold primary power and dominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, and control of property.

Gender Identity

An individual's personal sense of their gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth.

Racism

Prejudice or discrimination against individuals based on their race.

Discrimination

The unjust or prejudicial treatment of individuals based on their belonging to a particular group.

Intersectionality

The interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender, regarded as creating overlapping systems of discrimination.

Inclusion

The practice of ensuring that individuals from diverse backgrounds feel welcomed and valued in educational and social settings.

Segregation

The enforced separation of different racial or ethnic groups in a community.

Implicit Bias

Attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner.

Equality

The state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities.

Equity

The quality of being fair and impartial, taking into account differing needs and circumstances.

Marginalization

The social process of becoming or being made marginal or peripheral in relation to a central position.

Critical Race Theory

An intellectual movement and a framework for examining the relationship between race, law, and power.

Hidden Curriculum

The unspoken or implicit values, behaviors, and norms that are taught in educational settings.

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

An educational approach that teaches to and through the strengths of students' cultures.

Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility Model

A framework developed by Hellison to empower students in developing their personal and social responsibility in physical education.

Social Responsibility Model Levels

A framework consisting of five levels (0-4) aimed at teaching responsibility in physical education settings.

Plessy vs. Ferguson  

was a landmark Supreme Court case in 1896 that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine.

Brown vs. Board of Education  

was a landmark Supreme Court case in 1954 that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine established in Plessy vs. Ferguson.

Title 9  

is a federal law enacted in 1972 that prohibits gender discrimination in any educational program or activity receiving federal funding, significantly impacting women's sports.

IDEA Law

is a federal law enacted in 1975 that ensures students with disabilities are provided Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment.

Kennedy vs Bremerton

is a Supreme Court case concerning the rights of a public school football coach to pray on the field after games, raising important questions about religious freedom and the separation of church and state.

The Eliots Experiment Rational

This experiment was intended to create a
microcosm of society in the third grade class.
■ The idea was to help people see their own
susceptibility to discrimination and prejudice.
■ How these prejudices develop and weather it is
possible to create an alternative course that is
positive.

Role of Teacher (Eliot)

Teacher has immense power to shape the minds of her students with it
comes huge responsibility

Implications of the Eliot Experiment

Three years after Elliott’s original exercise, an associate professor at
the University of Northern Iowa conducted an attitudinal survey of the
third- to sixth-grade students in the Riceville Community School and
in the third- to sixth-grade students in a comparable community to
measure their attitudes concerning racism.
■ Results: not only were Elliott’s former students have improved
attitudes about difference in their responses as measured by this
survey, than were their fellow students.
■ The professor concluded that not only were Elliott’s students attitudes
positively changed by the exercise, but their attitudes were
ameliorating the attitudes of their peers as well.

Level 0 of social responsibility model

Egocentric, lack of self-control, non-team player.

Level 1 of social responsibility model

Respecting the Rights & Feelings of Others Self-control and peaceful conflict solving.

Level 2 of social responsibility model

Effort and Cooperation: Getting along, being self– starter, trying new tasks.

Level 3 of social responsibility model

Self-Direction: Being on-task, setting and sticking to personal goals and resisting peer pressure.

level 4 of social responsibility model

Helping Others and Leadership: Showing caring, sensitivity and concern for others

Examples of stereotypes in PE classes

Ability based on gender, race, or body type

Stereotypes: distortion vs omission

Distortion- where attributes are exaggerated or misrepresented

Omission-where important traits are ignored, leading to incomplete perceptions of individuals.

Confirmatory Bias

people’s tendency to process information by looking for, or interpreting, information that is consistent with their existing beliefs.

Where do people get their stereotypes from

Social and cultural influences- Family, peers, media, etc.

Ancient Greek Sports

Personal excellence, civic pride, and religious rituals, with events like running and wrestling in the Olympic Games.

Ancient Roman Sport

Roman sport focused on mass entertainment, with events like gladiator combat and chariot racing, often involving slaves and lower-class citizens.

Ancient Olympics

776 BCE in Olympia, Greece

Men and Greeks only

Pre-Industrial Sport

Informal and linked to festivals, with aristocrats engaging in hunting and equestrian sports, while lower classes played folk games.

Industrial Era Sport

Urbanization and factory work reduced leisure time, but structured sports emerged as a means of both social control and recreation.

Karl Marx and Sport

He saw sport as both a tool of social control and a way for workers to express collective identity.

Modern Olympics

Pierre de Coubertin revived the Games in 1896, aiming to promote internationalism, amateurism, and physical excellence through sport

19th Century Sport

It became more institutionalized, with formalized rules and the rise of governing bodies for sports like soccer and rugby.

Women in 19th Century Sport

Lawn tennis and cycling, though societal norms still limited their involvement.