Toward a Stronger Position for Physical Education in Higher Education: Three Recommendations

Abstract

Physical education can achieve a stronger place in higher education, but to do so it will have to confront at least three important alternatives. These are strengthening its mission versus improving its accountability, limiting versus expanding this mission, and educating liberally versus schooling more narrowly. It is argued that redefining and limiting its mission, in addition to choosing some brand of liberal education, will best strengthen physical education in the arena of higher education. Alternately it is suggested that attempts to gain support by proving that physical education accomplishes traditional objectives (i.e., that it is maximally accountable), by expanding its goals to cover yet more educational turf, or by holding on to health and recreational “schooling” objectives will prove ineffectual if not also harmful for any attempt by physical education to seek a more central place in higher education.