Physical Education and Sport in Independent Schools: A Sociological Perspective by Adam Tobias Morton A Doctoral Thesis Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy of Loughborough University (September 2019) © Adam Tobias Morton 2019 2 CONTENTS List of Figures and Tables ...................................................................................................... 8 Glossary .................................................................................................................................. 9 Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................. 10 Abstract ................................................................................................................................ 11 Chapter I: Introduction ............................................................................................................. 12 1.1 One of the worst statistics in british sport? .................................................................... 12 1.2 A reflection of society .................................................................................................... 13 1.3 Autobiographical positioning ......................................................................................... 16 1.4 A gap in the literature: why study independent schools? ............................................... 17 1.5 The importance of a sociological perspective ........................................................... 18 1.6 Problematising ‘one of the worst statistics in British Sport’ ..................................... 19 1.7 Towards a meaningful research question ....................................................................... 20 1.8 Articulating an aim .................................................................................................... 21 1.9 What do these questions mean for the Structure of this thesis? ................................ 23 Chapter II: Literature Review .................................................................................................. 25 2.1 An historical perspective ................................................................................................ 25 2.1.1 Public, private, independent: aren’t they all the same thing? .................................. 25 2.1.2 The beginnings of the games cult ............................................................................ 26 2.1.3 A turning point in education .................................................................................... 29 2.1.4 The emergence of physical education ..................................................................... 30 2.1.5 Sport and physical education in the late 20th century ............................................. 31 2.1.6 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 32 2.2 Contemporary debates .................................................................................................... 33 2.2.1 What do we know about PE and sport in independent schools?........................ 33 2.2.2 The role of the family .............................................................................................. 35 2.2.3 Unintended consequences: A critical perspective on sport in independent schools 36 2.2.4 The relationship between PE, school sport and elite performance .......................... 38 2.2.5 Talent identification ................................................................................................. 40 2.2.6 Talent development ................................................................................................. 42 2.2.7 Variation between sports ......................................................................................... 44 3 2.2.8 Physical Education futures ...................................................................................... 45 2.2.9 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 46 Chapter III: A Theoretical Perspective .................................................................................... 47 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 47 3.2 Foregrounding social class ............................................................................................. 47 3.2.1 Defining Social class ............................................................................................... 48 3.2.2 A cultural perspective on social class ...................................................................... 50 3.2.3 Employing a nuanced view of class ........................................................................ 52 3.2.4 Social class, education and sport ............................................................................. 53 3.2.5 A rationale for foregrounding social class ............................................................... 54 3.2.6 Schooling as a proxy for social class? ..................................................................... 55 3.2.7 Reflecting society: does it pay to be posh?.............................................................. 56 3.2.8 Reproducing advantage: structure and/or agency .................................................... 58 3.3 Forms of capital .............................................................................................................. 60 3.3.1 Sporting capital ........................................................................................................ 61 3.3.2 Capital and the body ................................................................................................ 62 3.4 Elias and figurational sociology ..................................................................................... 63 3.4.1 A relational, processual perspective ........................................................................ 63 3.4.2 The Civilizing Process and established-outsider relations ...................................... 65 3.4.3 Criticism of Elias ..................................................................................................... 67 3.5 Bourdieu and distinction ................................................................................................ 68 3.5.1 Distinction and sport ................................................................................................ 69 3.5.2 Bourdieu on education, lifestyle and symbolic violence ......................................... 70 3.5.3 Updating Bourdieu: Omnivorousness and Voraciousness ...................................... 72 3.5.4 Criticism of Bourdieu .............................................................................................. 74 3.6 Elias and Bourdieu – a dual theory approach ................................................................. 75 3.7 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 77 Chapter IV: Methodology and Methods .................................................................................. 78 4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 78 4.2 Articulating a philosophical framework ......................................................................... 79 4.2.1 Ontological positioning ........................................................................................... 79 4.2.2 Epistemological positioning .................................................................................... 82 4.2.3 Summary .................................................................................................................. 84 4.3 Methodology .................................................................................................................. 85 4 4.3.1 Appreciative Inquiry (AI) ........................................................................................ 86 4.3.2 Retaining a critical capacity .................................................................................... 88 4.3.3 Towards a Multiple-Case Study .............................................................................. 90 4.3.4 Which Cases to Study? ............................................................................................ 92 4.3.5 Towards a Methodologically Explicit Method .................................................. 94 4.3.6 On Involvement and Detachment ............................................................................ 97 4.3.7 Summary .................................................................................................................. 98 4.4 Methods .......................................................................................................................... 99 4.4.1 A Rationalised Sampling of Context ....................................................................... 99 4.4.2 A Rationalised Sampling of Participants ............................................................... 105 4.4.3 Data collection: interviews .................................................................................... 110 4.5.4 Interview questions ................................................................................................ 112 4.5 Method of