About this Research Topic

Background

Many authors have discussed the organization of knowledge in the field of curriculum over the last decades. Contemporary challenges question the curriculum, especially its social and scientific validity. Facing it seems central when, added to the theme, we attempt to understand these guideline elaboration processes from a local transnational comparative perspective. Considering all challenges of related theory and pedagogical practice in curricular proposals for physical education, comparative research represents an alternative through knowledge exchange. Although each country or region has its own curriculum, the similarities, differences, and peculiarities represent possibilities for reflections on practice and academic-scientific dialogue at an international level. The communication and scientific dialogue between national curricula projects represent a heuristic alternative to improving the quality of teaching and professional education.

This research topic aims to combine a collection of papers that individually and collectively reveal perspectives of curricular proposals for physical education. Thus, from the dialogue between local and global curricular purposes, this collection aspires to present national curricula and/or particular contexts in manuscripts that establish a comparison between them, as well as publicize comparative research with reflections about pedagogical practice, innovative experiences, challenges or difficulties, and insightful ideas. Despite the proposed and documented curricula not always representing how programs enact their curriculum and teaching, that kind of education proposal tends to inspire pedagogical intentions and shape institutional regulations. Therefore, proposals which present several national and international curricular guidelines to analyze and reflect on the formative processes in the field of Physical Education nowadays are welcome.

Curricular proposals for physical education is the focus in this Research Topic; however, it is not restrictive. We welcome submissions whose goal is to introduce, describe, analyze, evaluate, discuss new ideas, and/or share innovative experiences in national curriculums or contexts. Manuscripts can also address:
● Types of methodologies in comparative curriculum research (e.g. document analysis, meta-analyses, surveys, empirical).
● Level of Education (e.g., K-12, Physical Education Teaching Education - PETE).
● Participation of different entities involved in elaborating national curricula (e.g. policymakers, researchers, teachers, students, parents, and community).
● Levels of comparison (e.g. geographic, socio-historic, economic, cultural, pedagogical).
● National Policy for sports at school and programs for school-age athletes.
● Incorporations of curricula national policies by regional curricula.

Keywords: Physical Education; Comparative Studies; National curricula

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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