DOCSLIB.ORG

The Future of Physical Education in Higher Education: a Delphi Investigation

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Future of Physical Education in Higher Education: a Delphi Investigation The Future of Physical Education in Higher Education: A Delphi Investigation Jenna Lorusso, B.PhEd. (Hons.), B.Ed. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Applied Health Sciences (Health and Physical Education) Under the supervision of Nancy Francis, EdD Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University St. Catharines, Ontario Jenna Lorusso © January 2013 Abstract Despite the profound and widespread concern for the future of higher education physical education, there has been little systematic study on the topic. This research investigated the future by utilizing a two-round interview Delphi method. Five international experts were asked to project possible, probable, preferable and undesirable futures of the academic discipline in fifteen years time; specifically in regards to issues within the undergraduate degree programs, and the research sub-disciplines. The results of quantitative descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis reveal an ever- changing higher education environment in the postmodern information age, which presents a complicating future for the academic discipline. The experts expressed concern that some disciplinarians will be a-futuristic and unable to operationalize the vast potential of the discipline at the institutional level, by continuing to use outdated and inappropriate frameworks of a modern era gone by. ii Acknowledgements To the five experts who so graciously participated in this research, I wish to express my sincere gratitude. This research would not have been possible without your unparalleled insight on the future of physical education in higher education. To my supervisor, Dr. Nancy Francis, thank you for your unwavering support throughout this process. To my supervisory committee, Dr.’s Anna Lathrop, Murray Knuttila, and Lori Livingston, thank you for the invaluable contributions your insights have made to this research. To my family, boyfriend, and friends, your support made it possible for me to pursue, and achieve, this master’s degree. This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. iii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ ii Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. vi List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1 Physical Education in Context: K-12 and Higher Education .................................................. 1 Purpose and Research Questions ............................................................................................. 6 Rationale.................................................................................................................................. 7 Significance of the Study ........................................................................................................ 8 Tone and Context of the Research .......................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER TWO: DEFINITIONS ................................................................................... 11 Definitional Issues ................................................................................................................. 11 Field ....................................................................................................................................... 13 Academic Discipline ............................................................................................................. 16 Profession .............................................................................................................................. 18 K-12 School Physical Education ........................................................................................... 19 Higher Education Physical Education ................................................................................... 20 Higher Education Kinesiology .............................................................................................. 22 Relevant Organizations and Acronyms ................................................................................. 24 CHAPTER THREE: OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE ................................................... 26 Content and Methods ............................................................................................................ 26 Geographical Context ............................................................................................................ 30 Authorship ............................................................................................................................. 33 Publication Criteria ............................................................................................................... 35 Tone and Modus Operandi .................................................................................................... 36 Important Considerations for the Reader .............................................................................. 38 CHAPTER FOUR: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ........................................................... 40 The Past ................................................................................................................................. 41 The Present ............................................................................................................................ 69 The Future ........................................................................................................................... 135 iv CHAPTER FIVE – METHODOLOGY AND METHODS ........................................... 147 Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 149 Methods ............................................................................................................................... 151 Research Design and Protocol ............................................................................................. 153 Quality of Research ............................................................................................................. 178 CHAPTER SIX: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ........................................................ 182 Layer 1 Making the Obvious Obvious ................................................................................ 184 Layer 2 Making the Obvious Dubious ................................................................................ 215 Layer 3 Making the Hidden Obvious .................................................................................. 249 Concluding Statements ........................................................................................................ 252 References .................................................................................................................................... 260 APPENDIX A ................................................................................................................. 271 APPENDIX B ................................................................................................................. 273 APPENDIX C ................................................................................................................. 275 APPENDIX D ................................................................................................................. 278 APPENDIX E ................................................................................................................. 281 v List of Tables 1. NAKHE Conference Themes for the Past Five Years .................................................. 28 2. Examples of NAKHE Commemorative Lecture Topics............................................... 29 3. Themes of NAK Meetings for the Past Five Years ...................................................... 29 4. Examples of NAK Academy Paper Titles .................................................................... 30 5. Historical Events in the Development of the Academic Discipline's Issues ................ 42 6. Two Perspectives of the Curriculum Conflict............................................................... 81 7. Melnychuk et al. (2011) Current and Believed Focus of Curricula .............................. 90 8. CCUPEKA Curriculum Standards ................................................................................ 92 9. Physical Education/Kinesiology Academic Units in Canada 2011 .............................. 99 10. Names of Physical Education/Kinesiology Academic Units in Canada 2012 .......... 108 11. Most Frequently Used Terms in Academic Unit Titles ............................................ 115 12. Inter-Disciplinary versus Cross-Disciplinary Organizational Frameworks .............. 120 13. Ishee (2003) Future Changes in Higher Education Physical Education ................... 136 14. Ishee (2003) Desirable Changes in Higher Education Physical Education .............. 137 15. Ishee (2003) Undesirable Changes in Higher Education Physical
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Curriculum, Instruction, and Theoretical Support (Top Left, Middle, Learning
    SECTION I Curriculum, Instruction, and Theoretical Support (top left, middle, bottom right) Courtesy of John Dolly; (top right) © Jones & Bartlett Learning. Photographed by Christine Myaskovsky; (bottom left) © Jones & Bartlett Learning. Photographed by Sarah Cebulski. by Photographed left) © Jones & Bartlett (bottom Learning. Myaskovsky; Christine by Photographed © Jones & Bartlett right) of John Dolly; Courtesy (top right) bottom Learning. middle, left, (top n this section, we begin in Chapters 1 through 3 by describing the goals, national standards, and significance of physical education, including a brief history of this Ifield, and then provide an overview of the movement approach that constitutes the curricular and instructional model presented in this text. In Chapters 4, 5, and 9, we describe the development, learning, and motivation theories that support our approach. We describe instruction in Chapters 6, 7, 8, 10, and 13, thereby link- ing instruction to how children learn and develop. Chapters 11 and 12 discuss teaching social responsibility, emotional goals, and respecting and valuing diver- sity. Planning, assessment, and their links to national standards are discussed in Chapters 14 and 15. Section I is followed by descriptions of the content of the curricular and instructional model, including the sample lesson plans presented in Sections II, III, and IV. As part of these discussions, we link the content to the theoretical support, national standards, and instructional methods discussed in Section I. 9781284103762_CH01_PASS02.indd 1 27/10/15 9:21 am 9781284103762_CH01_PASS02.indd 2 27/10/15 9:21 am CHAPT ER Physical Education Goals, Significance, and National Standards (top left) © Jones & Bartlett Learning. Photographed by Christine Myaskovsky; (right) © Jones & Bartlett Learning.
    [Show full text]
  • College": Collection
    The Woman's College of The University of North Carolina LIBRARY COLLEGE": COLLECTION Gift of Delore* .lean Wertz A COMPARISON OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN GERMANY AND AMERICA FROM THE YEARS 1860-1930 by Delores Jean Wertz A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in Physical Education Greensboro July, 1963 Approved by APPROVAL SHEET This thesis has been approved by the following committee of the Faculty of the Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina. Thesis ' ]„ '/' f r Director y;, ,;■:>■/ ' ( • if- Oral Examination C" Committee Members C ^jl ■ ■' ',' ' s. \ ■ . ■' . o (J^Ky^ , fc*Ju,i>.«** Vr' Date of Examination HERTZ, DELORES JEAN. A Comparison of Physical Education in Germany and America From the Years 1860-1930. (1963) Directed by: Dr. Rosemary McGee pp:82 A comparison was made of the development of the physical education movement in Germany and America from i860 to 1930. This writer believes that American physical education and German Leibeserziehung are reflections of the political and social attitudes of these two countries. A study was made of the political situation of both countries during this era. The rich cultural heritage and the uneducated political attitude of the Germans were strikingly different from the democracy of the common man in America and the American individualism which were creating a new culture. Socially the current in Germany flowed with the authoritative leaders and was mirrored in the literature. The literature included the extremes of the spirit of the humanity of Goethe to the Germanity of Jahn.
    [Show full text]
  • Josephine Rathbone and Corrective Physical Education
    Yoga Comes to American Physical Education: Josephine Rathbone and Corrective Physical Education P a t r ic ia V e r t in s k y 1 School of Kinesiology University o f British Columbia Around the turn-of-the-twentieth-century yoga took on an American mantle, developing into India’s first “global brand" of physical culture. Physical educa­ tors became implicated in this transnational exchange adopting aspects of yoga into their programs and activities, though there has been an insufficient attempt to piece together the sum and pattern of their intersecting influences. This paper explores how adopted Eastern cultural practices such as yoga gained traction on American shores and entered the fabric of everyday and institutional life, in­ cluding the curricula of higher education in the late nineteenth and early de­ cades of the twentieth century. It then describes how American physical educa­ tor Josephine L Rathbone came to draw inspiration and knowledge from Indian gurus about the yoga postures she would incorporate in the first and rather significant program o f corrective physical education at Teachers College, Colum­ bia University during the 1930s and 1940s. As an early pioneer of the evolu­ tion o f Ling's medical gymnastics into a therapeutic stream o f physical activity which formed an important branch o f physical education, Rathbone was in­ strumental in maintaining a critical link with physical therapy and medicine, 'Correspondence to [email protected]. facilitating transnational connections and networks while pushing open a ¿loor to mind-body practices from the east. Her project was a small but illuminating aspect o f the shifting spaces o f "bodies in contact” in cross-cultural encounters and complex imperial networks emerging from "modernities" in both East and West.
    [Show full text]
  • (Pe) Development in the Czech Republic, Germany, and the Usa – a Historical Perspective
    Acta Univ. Palacki. Olomuc., Gymn. 2011, vol. 41, no. 1 51 A COMPARISON OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE) DEVELOPMENT IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC, GERMANY, AND THE USA – A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Petr Vlček Faculty of Education, Masaryk Univerzity, Brno, Czech Republic Submitted in August, 2009 BACKGROUND: After the year 1989, political, structural and economic reforms caused signifi cant changes in education in the Czech Republic, also aff ecting physical education (PE). Within the context of unifi cation and glo- balization there are similar changes in progress in other countries. OBJECTIVE: The complex situation, fast changes and various pedagogical traditions complicate the creation of a systematic view of the current PE reforms. The objective of this paper is to describe the most important events in the history of PE in the Czech Republic, Germany and the USA and to explain their eff ect on the PE curriculum changes in the selected countries. The purpose of this historical analysis is to present some fundamental information about the development of PE in selected countries which will make possible further comparisons of the current reforms of physical education. METHODS: Our methodology is based on historical comparison outlining and comparing the history of the PE concepts in selected countries. RESULTS: Our results and fi ndings show the diff erences in the history of PE in the Czech Republic, Germany and the USA and the crosscultural infl uence of the countries on the development of PE concepts. Especially the Turners from Germany infl uenced the beginnings of Czech and American PE in the 19 th century. Other gymnastic systems entered the USA later but the philosophy of pragmatism and the infl uence of the modern Olympic movement brought signifi cant changes into the American PE concept at the beginning of the 20 th century.
    [Show full text]
  • Strongman Books Catalog
    STRONGMAN BOOKS CATALOG Welcome to the Strongman Books catalog where we aim to bring you the best of the oldtime strongmen and physical culturists books and writings. This catalog shows you all of our current titles available in paperback form with links to pick them up from Amazon, everyone’s favorite place to buy books. Also at the end of this book you’ll see special package deals we offer at a substantial discount only available on our website. For an updated catalog you can always go to our website and download the latest version for free (and in full color) at www.StrongmanBooks.com . Thank you, The Strongman Books Team Alan Calvert was the creator of Milo Bar Bell Co. and the editor of Strength magazine. He was responsible for the start of many of the most famous lifters in the golden era. For this reason he has been called the grandfather of American weight lifting. Super Strength is his biggest and most well known book covering everything you need to know to develop just what the title says. In addition to 26 chapters you'll find well over 100 rare photographs. $14.95 - http://amzn.to/WZDup8 Alexander Zass was best known by his stage name, The Amazing Samson. He was an oldtime strongman capable of snapping chains and bending iron bars. In fact, the legend is he was able to escape a POW camp by doing just that. From this and other training over his lifetime he was a huge proponent of isometric training. This book, The Amazing Samson, describes his life, his training and how to do many of the feats, including chain breaking and nail driving and pulling.
    [Show full text]
  • Acta Facultatis Educationis Physicae Universitatis Comenianae Publicatio Li/I
    ACTA FACULTATIS EDUCATIONIS PHYSICAE UNIVERSITATIS COMENIANAE PUBLICATIO LI/I 2011 ACTA FACULTATIS EDUCATIONIS PHYSICAE UNIVERSITATIS COMENIANAE PUBLICATIO LI/I Executive Editor Assoc. Prof. PaedDr. Oľga Kyselovičová, PhD. Editorial Assistant Mgr. Angela Barineková Editorial Board Prof. PhDr. Jela Labudová, PhD. Assoc. Prof. MUDr. Jana Lipková, PhD. Assoc. Prof. PaedDr. Dušan Kutlík, PhD. Prof. PhDr. Josef Oborný, PhD. Assoc. Prof. PaedDr. Vladimír Přidal, PhD. Assoc. Prof. PaedDr. Jaromír Sedláček, PhD. Scientific Board Prof. Dr. Gudrun Doll-Tepper – President of CIEPS (ICSSPE) Prof. Dragan Milanovič, PhD. – Faculty of Kineziology, Zagreb Prof. Dr. József Tihanyi, Ph.D. – Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Science, Semmelweis University, Budapest Prof. Kenneth Hardman, PhD. – University of Worcester Prof. PhDr. Hana Valková, CSc. – Faculty of Physical Culture, Palacký University in Olomouc Prof. PaedDr. Ján Junger, PhD. – Faculty of Sport, University of Prešov in Prešov Prof. PaedDr. Ľudmila Jančoková, CSc. – Faculty of Humanities, Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica Assoc. Prof. PhDr. Dušan Tomajko, CSc. – Faculty of Physical Culture, Palacký University in Olomouc Prof. PhDr. Michal Charvát, CSc. – Faculty of Spors Studies, Masaryk University in Brno Reviewers Assoc. Prof. PaedDr. Oľga Kyselovičová, PhD. Prof. PhDr. Jela Labudová, PhD. Mgr. František Seman, PhD.. Assoc. Prof. PaedDr. Erika Zemková, PhD. Language revision Mgr. Helena Rychtáriková of the manuscript © Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave, 2011 Požiadavky na výmenu adresujte: All correspondence and exchange requests should be addressed: Knižnica Fakulty telesnej výchovy a športu UK Nábr. arm. gen. L. Svobodu 9, 814 69 BRATISLAVA ISBN 978-80-223-3019-0 Contents 3 CONTENTS THE PLACE OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION SUBJECT AND CURRICULA DEVELOPMENT OF THE SLOVAK SCHOOLS Janka Peráčková .............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • HSES 244 History and Foundations of Physical Education Professor: Dr
    HSES 244 History and Foundations of Physical Education Professor: Dr. Angela Lumpkin Office: 146B Robinson Telephone: 785-864-0778 E-mail: [email protected] Office Hours: 8:30 am – 10 am Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays; also by appointment Course Description The study of the history, foundational concepts, and current principles of physical education, exercise science, and sport programs Course Objectives 1. Students will identify the purpose and objectives of physical education, exercise science, and sport programs and be able to explain the meaning and importance of each. 2. Students will learn about the foundational concepts of the exercise and sport sciences. 3. Students will begin to understand the duties and responsibilities of a professional physical educator, exercise scientist, or sport educator. 4. Students will formulate a personal philosophy of physical education, exercise science, or sport based on an understanding of fundamental philosophical theories. 5. Students will investigate possible careers in physical education, exercise science, and sport and participate in activities to help prepare for a chosen career. 6. Students will learn about the heritage of physical activity programs from the ancient Greeks to the present time through an investigation of people, programs, and events. 7. Students will examine the legacy of the historical occurrences of physical education, exercise science, and sport as these have influenced and shaped existing programs. 8. Students will analyze current issues and trends in physical education, exercise science, and sport. Required Textbook Lumpkin, A. (2011). Introduction to physical education, exercise science, and sport studies (8th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill. Course Requirements 1. Class attendance and punctuality are expected in this pre-professional course.
    [Show full text]
  • University Microfilms, a Xeroxcompany, Ann Arbor
    71-27,453 COURSEY, Leon N . , 1940- THE LIFE OF EDWIN BANCROFT HENDERSON AND HIS PROFESSIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO PHYSICAL EDUCATION, The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1971 Education, physical University Microfilms, A XEROX Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan ©Copyright by Leon N« Coursey 1971 THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED THE LIFE OF EDWIN BANCROFT HENDERSON AND HIS PROFESSIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO PHYSICAL EDUCATION DISSERTATION Presented :ln Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Leon N . Cour sey, B .A.> M .S. The Ohio State University 1971 Approved by Adviser Department of Physical Education PLEASE NOTE: Some pages have small and indistinct type. Filmed as received. University Microfilms : Edwin Bancroft Henderson in 1911 11 ACKNOIVLEDGMENTS IVhile it is impossible for me to make an individual acknowledgment to all the very kind people who helped me to complete this research project, I shall give special recognition to some of them but I shall always remember everyone in my heart. At the outset, I want to give special acknowledgment to my most sincere and personal adviser. Professor Bruce L, Bennett of The Ohio State University, for his warm encouragement, criticisms and suggestions. He and I know that without his assistance I would not have done this dissertation. It was Dr, Bennett who suggested this dissertation to me and I am profoundly appreciative, I am overwhelmingly grateful to Mr, Edwin B, Henderson, Mrs, Henderson, and thé other members of the Henderson family in Tuskegee, Alabama, for having me in their home and for treating me as one of their family, during the spring of 1969, while I interviewed Mr, Hender­ son, I want to convey ray deep appreciation to Cato W, Adams, Dr, William Dove Thompson, Mr, Wendall A.
    [Show full text]
  • William Gilbert Anderson, Md
    THE LIFE AND PROFESSIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF "WILLIAM GILBERT ANDERSON, M. D. DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By HAROLD LLOYD RAY, A. B., M. S. The Ohio State University 1959 Approved by Adviser Department of Physical Education WILLIAM GILBERT ANDERSON I860 - 19U7 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author wishes to express his appreciation to all who helped in this project. Particular thanks are due Dr. Bruce L. Bennett, De­ partment of Physical Education, The Ohio State University, for his guid­ ance, encouragement and excellent critioisms. The writer is grateful for the help given by the other members of the reading committee~Dr. Lewis A. Hess, Chairman of the Department of Physical Education, and Dr. Francis Weisenburger, Department of History. Dr. Chalmers Hixson, Department of Physical Education, offered suggestions which aided in structuring the study. Fred Shults, Department of Physical Education, Oberlin College, contributed to the study by making the Fred E. Leonard papers available. Many library personnel gave assistance in conducting research. The writer is grateful to the staffs of the libraries at The Ohio State University, Adelphi College and the Library of Congress, and to Mrs. Margaret Copeland of the Smith Memorial Library, Chautauqua Institution, and Miss Jane Hill, in charge of the Yale Memorabilia Collection. The author wishes to acknowledge the cooperation of the staff of the Sterling Memorial Library, Yale University, in photostating portions of the Anderson Memorabilia and for permission to use the photograph as a frontispiece. The writer appreciates the information given by the following people, through interviews and correspondence, which contributed to the iii iv authenticity of this study: Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • History of First Man to 1900 Chapter 2 INTRODUCTION, NOMAD to HOMO SAPIEN
    Chapter Two: History of First Man to 1900 from The Profession of Physical Education 1st Edition | By Thomas Rogan | 9781524903923 | 2016 Copyright Property of Kendall Hunt Publishing History of First Man to 1900 Chapter 2 INTRODUCTION, NOMAD TO HOMO SAPIEN History is most fascinating and enlightens educators of today. For the future employed in any area of the profession of Physical Education, it is critical to have the knowledge of past history to be best prepared and educated. Physical Education possesses a rich heritage that has been influenced by time, people, events, philosophies, practices, and many other contributing factors throughout the past. From the dawn of mankind some three to four plus million years ago, hominids have been challenged in their physical survival. The discovery of the well known Lucy fossil dated three and a half million years old, and history tells us that Homo erectus lived life as hunter gatherers. They walked upright and spent most of their time in search of food to satisfy their hunger. For millions of years these early hominids had to possess a physical stature to ward off danger and to be physically strong enough to find and secure food. Often traveling in small groups or clans, they were in constant search of shelter and safety. Truly, they possessed built in motivation to maintain a physical ability to prevent danger or even an early death. The most basic survival movement skills included speed, strength, power, and quickness; all of which helped man tame and control their environment and living conditions. During perhaps just the last ten thousand years, human evolution progressed to where more modern Homo sapiens lived in small groups or in larger, more complex civilizations with better control over plants, animals, and land.
    [Show full text]
  • The Validity of Perceived Physical Fitness in Adult Men and Women
    UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-1992 The validity of perceived physical fitness in adult men and women Patricia Anne Mortati McCollum University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation McCollum, Patricia Anne Mortati, "The validity of perceived physical fitness in adult men and women" (1992). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 241. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/0370-xw29 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction.
    [Show full text]
  • Open Rule Britannia-Submit.Pdf
    The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School College of Health and Human Development RULE BRITANNIA: NATIONALISM, IDENTITY, AND THE MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES A Dissertation in Kinesiology by Matthew P. Llewellyn ©2010 Matthew P. Llewellyn Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2010 The dissertation of Matthew P. Llewellyn was reviewed and approved* by the following: Mark S. Dyreson Associate Professor of Kinesiology Dissertation Adviser Chair of Committee R. Scott Kretchmar Professor of Kinesiology James Thompson Professor Emeritus of Kinesiology Garry Chick Professor of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management Martin Polley Senior Lecturer of Sport History University of Southampton, UK Special Member Karl M. Newell Professor of Kinesiology Head of Department of Kinesiology *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School ii Abstract As the cradle of modern sport, Britain‘s rich sporting history contributed significantly to the nation‘s identity both at home and abroad. Through their governance and control of leading bureaucratic organizations and clubs, the British established and maintained a position of leadership both on and off the field. Britain‘s early sporting dominance, coupled with the use of sport as medium for shaping the abilities, values and character of a British governing class, cultivated a belief that sport played a crucial role in the acquisition and consolidation of British hegemonic power. After an initial period of unrivalled dominance, Britain‘s monopolistic position as leader of modern sport eventually came under serious assault. Britain‘s historical sporting supremacy—similar to her imperial and economic power in general—was relative, not absolute; a position predicated more on the weaknesses of her opponents rather than her own strengths.
    [Show full text]