Poster Session
Teaching Students to Bicycle to Learn Social Science Theories
Poster Session William Bartley
Many college undergraduates are interested in physical exercise for their own benefit or physical education as a vocation. And the social sciences are the scientific study of human society and social relationships. This leads to a great cross-disciplinary opportunity to engage students within their interests while considering their interaction within the greater society around them. Bicycling is well positioned for this cross-disciplinary teaching as it occurs within society amongst other citizens and within publicly provided infrastructure. And it’s experiential as bicyclists are acting physically as an individual and as a member of society. This allows social science theories such as equitable access to goods, health disparities and financing alternatives for public infrastructure to be studied while engaging in the physical education of bicycling. This poster exhibits biking courses undertaken by undergraduates of a variety of majors – both locally as a physical education course and internationally within a two-week, 200-mile interdisciplinary travel course in the Netherlands. It includes student testimonials and survey results for how bicycling has broadened their understanding of societal structure. The study also includes visual media of students biking within local and international settings to highlight these social science theories. This poster finally highlights the primary differences between bicycling education in the United States and elsewhere. Specifically, much of the bicycling education in the US is geared towards biking safety on roadways with cars. This study highlights those differences and outcomes for the physical education of bicycling and its impact within broader societal participation.
The Organization and Implementation of Physical Activity in Norwegian Primary Schools: Is There a Gold Standard?
Poster Session Geir Kirkerud
In accordance with the Norwegian Education Act, all Norwegian schools are obliged to facilitate the completion of 76 hours of physical activity for pupils at intermediate level (5th-7th grade). These hours must be in addition to the physical education lessons. The purpose of this empirical research is to survey whether the guidance in the legislation is followed up, how it is done and to increase knowledge of appropriate procedures to facilitate physical activity in schools. The methodological approach is via surveys from all primary schools (n=10) in a selected Norwegian municipality. Proposals for measures and recommendations for the implementation of physical activity at intermediate level in Norwegian schools is presented.
Elite Female and Non-binary Athletes and the Politics of Self-representation: What Barriers and Opportunities Do Athletes Perceive and Experience through Self-representation on Social Media?
Poster Session Emma Phillips
This paper presents preliminary results from a study that looks at the social media and self-representational experiences of female and non-binary athletes in an elite Australian football context. Using unique, photography-led methods, the project offers new insights into the kinds of social and organisational (sporting) structures that shape the ways that these athletes present themselves, notably on social media, as their public visibility increases with the rise of women’s sport. Social media has become an increasingly essential avenue for athletes’ personal branding, fan engagement and endorsement opportunities. Emerging research suggests that public scrutiny faced by elite female and non-binary athletes has a negative and disciplining effect on the way they represent themselves, but also suggests that there is much yet to be discovered about player experience in this regard. This study offers a contribution to the field through a qualitative examination of player-directed visual media cultures associated with elite female and non-binary athletes. The project engages a professional photographer (myself) in collaboration with elite footballers to produce co-created photographs that players upload to their Instagram accounts and that provide the basis for discussion. Early results point to unique challenges – and also opportunities – for female and non-binary athletes with particular respect to their mental health and professional pathways. Data also suggests that social, political and organisational factors inform players’ identity and self-representational choices. The body is the site of their celebrated athleticism and also a site of both danger and opportunity in this ‘fledgling’ state of women’s professional sport.
