Learning and Instruction in Social, Cultural Environments: Promising Research Agendas

Abstract

My charge is to discuss the challenges and significant research questions for pedagogy. I believe the top challenges we face are to address inequitable opportunities to learn and participate in physical activities and to improve the quality of teachers and physical education, especially for those children and adolescents who feel alienated and disengaged. The most promising research agendas are (a) to design and research a variety of curriculum programs aimed at different age groups, cultural settings, subject matter, and curricular goals; (b) to study mechanisms for successful dissemination and long-term teacher adoption of field-tested curriculum; (c) to study programs that successfully produce graduates who value diversity, resist socialization, and are well-prepared to work with diverse populations in urban environments; and (d) to study what undergraduates actually learn in their coursework, how they transfer that knowledge to practice, and how their practice impacts student learning and engagement in physical activity.