The problematic place of a woman physical education instructor: an historical case study

Abstract

In this article the author's problematize the position of women in state school physical education, focusing in particular on the ‘instructors’ who were appointed to work with women teachers and senior girls, and prepare trainees at the Teachers College in South Australia. In exploring this little researched area, the article explores shifting representations of the woman ‘instructor’ from the 1920s to the late 1940s, highlighting the interplay of key discourses associated with age, gender, marital status, character, disciplinarity and physical activity. In addition, the authors explicate ways in which these discourses were interwoven in the career of May Cleggett, who for most of the period was the only woman physical education instructor in South Australian state schools.

Notes

* Corresponding author: School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University‐GoldCoast, PMB50 Gold Coast Mail Centre, Queensland 9726, Australia. Email: [email protected]

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Stephen Thorpe *

* Corresponding author: School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University‐GoldCoast, PMB50 Gold Coast Mail Centre, Queensland 9726, Australia. Email: [email protected]