Physical Literacy for Life ERASMUS+

  • Dudley, Dean Alan (Primary Chief Investigator)
  • Kirkeby, Mogens (Chief Investigator)
  • Benedicic Tomat, Saska (Chief Investigator)
  • Payne, Rachel (Chief Investigator)
  • Nenova, Laska (Chief Investigator)
  • Holzweg, Martin (Chief Investigator)
  • Salin, Kaspar (Chief Investigator)
  • Murphy, Chris (Chief Investigator)
  • Repond, Rose-Marie (Chief Investigator)
  • Onofre, Marcos (Chief Investigator)
  • Martins, João (Chief Investigator)
  • Mota, João (Chief Investigator)
  • Markovic, Mojca (Chief Investigator)
  • Mileva, Bilyana (Chief Investigator)
  • Schnitzler, Christiophe (Chief Investigator)
  • Benstsen, Peter (Chief Investigator)
  • Elsborg, Peter (Chief Investigator)
  • Melby, Paulina S. (Chief Investigator)
  • Grinderslev, Niels (Chief Investigator)
  • Green, Nigel (Chief Investigator)
  • Llop Padilla, Antonio (Chief Investigator)
  • Scheur, Claude (Chief Investigator)

    Project: Research

    Project Details

    Description

    Physical Literacy is a term that has increasingly gained popularity in recent years. A variety of individuals and organizations have promoted the use of the term internationally, and a variety of claims have been made for the benefits of using the term.

    “A historical overview allows the reader to consider Physical Literacy as one of many terms that have gained popularity in the field and describes divergent views as well as areas of agreement concerning the term Physical Literacy”(Cohen, 2016)1. This topic has gained considerable attention in the scientific literature: in pubmed database, the term « Physical Literacy » had 8 outputs in 2004, 58 in 2010 and 172 in 2017.

    Physical Literacy has been referred to, in a metaphorical sense, as developing literacy within a physical setting, synonymous to reading and writing, and specific to the culture in which individuals live (Delaney et al., 2008)2. This is an argument to include Physical Literacy as a key competence.

    Physical Literacy has been defined as the competence, confidence and knowledge to be physically active for life. Cairn et al. (2019) are providing an expanded definition and then present a conceptual model positioning Physical Literacy as “a health and disease determinant, based on evidence drawn largely from work outside physical education”.

    The research and experiences made during the small collaborative project named PHYLIT, conducted in 2018 shows evidence about the need of clarification. The literature review (PHYLIT, 2018) contains different representations of the Physical Literacy construct and showed that Physical Literacy has multiple characteristics. There is a need for clear definition and dimensions to build up a link between research and practices. The questionnaires created during the project need to be validated.
    “Recommendations for both researchers and practitioners focus on identifying and clearly articulating the definitions, philosophical assumptions and expected outcomes” (Edwards et al.,2017)3.

    We also, in accord with the literature, remark that the assessment and measurement of Physical Literacy is a challenge and needs didactic support and tools. The costs and benefits of adopting an exclusive approach versus pluralism are considered.

    The EU Commission and the commissioner are dedicated to developing and promoting sport, physical activity and healthy lifestyles. The concept of Physical Literacy has appeared more and more in recent years, but probably due to the languages used in different actions, it has to be more precise and emphasised.
    Promoting Physical Literacy a as key competence appears to be a challenge for the stakeholders – schools, clubs, policy makers and citizens, and an advocacy’s guide is necessary to convince more actors of its value.

    The overall objective of the project is to create the foundation for Physical Literacy to be a key component in European Citizens’ lifelong learning journey through physical education, physical activity and sport.

    This project addresses the promotion of Physical Literacy in, and through, physical education, physical activity and sport for all ages and in different environments, with special focus on the four dimensions (cognition, emotion, physical, social).
    AcronymERASMUS+
    StatusFinished
    Effective start/end date1/01/2031/12/21