Physical education for sustainable development goals: reflections and comments for contribution in the educational framework

ABSTRACT

The sustainability requirements of the planet in recent years have made it necessary for everyone to reflect on new lifestyles. For this purpose, the United Nations has established an agenda for change organised into 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that claim to be achieved by 2030. The demands of this sustainable development are organised into three main dimensions: social, environmental, and economical. To achieve these goals, the educational system is fundamental. This new context demands new areas of study centred on the educational sphere; for example, in a holistic Health Physical Education (HPE), there are precedents in the literature that show a relationship of the characteristics to enhance sustainable development. Based on these references, it is suggested that the characteristics of holistic HPE could contribute to the three dimensions of sustainability and the SDGs. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to deepen through a series of reflections and comments on the elements that compose a holistic HPE to contribute to the sustainable development of the planet. The paper begins with a justification of the delimitation of the problem it seeks to solve through this research area. This is followed by a detailed analysis of the specific SDG targets related to holistic HPE and the sustainability competencies to be developed. The epistemological foundations that a holistic HPE contribution could have on the three dimensions of sustainable development, are also added. Finally, the document closes with orientations for future research and teaching methodology proposals and teaching approaches that would fit within the holistic HPE for sustainable development. The contributions made in this document will allow researchers to find a baseline from which to begin to conduct research that confirms the virtues of holistic HPE in contributing to a more sustainable world.

KEYWORDS:

• Sustainable development goals
• education
• sustainability
• environment
• economic
• social

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Alicante. Through the project: ODSEF PROJECT. Design and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals for Physical Education (REDES ICE-2021-5489).