A critical review of the Daily Mile programme as a contributor to lifelong physical activity

ABSTRACT

This critical paper investigates one influential post-millennial initiative – the Daily Mile programme – which is designed to promote the multifarious lifelong enhancing benefits of running-based experiences. A textually orientated discourse analysis of the language used in media, policy and research-related documentary sources of evidence are used to critically review the role stakeholders, academics, researchers, civil servants and key individuals played in the development of the Daily Mile programme. Analysis revealed that the Daily Mile is experiencing some difficulty in being in control of its position and development due to the complex influences of multiple stakeholders. In this light, it is recommended that future research studies of the Daily Mile programme need to have the capacity to report their findings in a context where the full range of evidence are presented and where new findings are not re-contextualised and re-positioned in order to satisfy either the research funders’ or the views of politicians associated with the policy making process.

KEYWORDS:

• Health and wellbeing
• physical activity
• Daily Mile
• running
• discourse analysis

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Malcolm Thorburn

Dr. Malcolm Thorburn is a Lecturer in Education and Physical Education at the Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh. His main research interests are on of professional change issues for teachers, especially in terms of conceptualising educational values, curriculum planning and enhancing pedagogical practices. He has published widely on aims and values, policy and professionalism and planning and practice issues in education from a range of comparative contexts. His publications cover a range of educational journals including as first author, recent articles in: Journal of Curriculum Studies; Curriculum Journal; Oxford Review of Education; Educational Review, International Journal of Educational Research, Sport, Education and Society and the British Educational Research Journal. He is Editor of Wellbeing and Contemporary Schooling, Routledge: London. 2017 and Transformative Learning and Teaching in Physical Education Routledge: London. 2017.