2020, Vol. 7, Issue 4, Part E

This paper examines what are referred to as the 'philosophies' of physical education (PE) In the main, teachers' 'philosophies' revolved around a number of recognisable categories of meaning in terms of the ideological themes of 'sport', 'health', 'academic value' and, albeit to a lesser extent, 'education for leisure'. One leitmotif, in particular, emerged from the interview data and that was an overriding concern, on the part of the teachers in the study, with pupils' 'enjoyment' of PE. As an academic discipline, the philosophy of sport has been in existence for a relatively short period. Although the philosophy of sport as an academic endeavour is relatively young, the philosophical view of sport itself is not new. Although sport was a major activity according to the Greeks and Romans, it lost its importance during the Middle Ages. After the Renaissance, education came to be seen as a necessity. With its incorporation and utilisation in the educational curriculum, physical education obviously became more common in the curricula of the Renaissance and Reformation than it had been in the Middle Ages.