An expansive learning approach to transforming traditional fitness testing in health and physical education: student voice, feelings and hopes

ABSTRACT

Whilst the fitness testing debate has become more nuanced over time, the voice that is often absent from discussions is that of students. Located within the ‘big tent’ of critical pedagogy, and using an expansive learning approach that is grounded in cultural historical activity theory, this paper responds to the following research questions: (i) what are Australian Secondary students’ feelings and thoughts toward current fitness testing practices? and (ii) how would they change those fitness testing practices, and why? Data were collected via focus group interviews (n = 48) that utilised participatory arts-based methods. Students from one Secondary College were invited to consider the purpose, outcomes of, and alternatives for fitness testing within HPE. The findings suggest that fitness testing can be a source of anxiety, fear and overwhelm for some students. Findings also suggest that students have the capacity to discover new approaches to fitness testing that are responsive to the students and teachers in their school.

KEYWORDS:

• Fitness testing
• health and physical education
• student voice
• feelings
• expansive learning
• critical pedagogy

Acknowledgements

The findings shared in this paper were only possible because one teacher was willing to challenge the status quo if deemed necessary by their students. Thank you to the wonderful Head of Department I was lucky to work with – thank you for your willingness to be vulnerable, reflect, and collaborate to find new ways to approach the planning and enactment of fitness testing in their school. Thanks to the entire HPE department, too, for taking this project in with gusto. Thanks also go to the school leadership team, who graciously made this research possible. Huge thanks, of course, go to the students and their parents/carers for volunteering to participate in this research. It evoked some perhaps troubling feelings for some students, and that did not go unnoticed. Thank you so much for sharing your feelings and thoughts with me. Huge thanks to the critical (and fabulous) friend referred to in the methods section – Amanda Mooney. Finally, thank you to Zali Yager for introducing me to the ‘feelings wheel’ and her contributions to research and action related to fitness testing and body image more broadly.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Monash University Large Grant.

Notes on contributors

Laura Alfrey

Laura Alfrey is a teacher educator and researcher in the School of Curriculum, Teaching and Inclusive Education, in the Faculty of Education at Monash University. Laura's research leads to the transformation of policy and practice in primary, secondary, tertiary and community settings. Her work extends the sub-discipline of HPE by supporting those within it to understand and create theoretically-rich and evidence-based alternatives to historically-rooted, exclusive and mis-educative ideologies and practices.