Expanding a research community within physical education and sport pedagogy should be a common goal around international academia. Key features within such a community should involve fostering collaboration, enhancing accessibility, and embracing interdisciplinary approaches (MacPhail & Luguetti, 2021). Given the dynamic nature of physical education and its intersections with health, education, sports, and social justice, it is essential to create an international, multilanguage, inclusive, and supportive environment that encourages researchers from different countries to provide diverse perspectives to contribute to the growth and sustainability of a greater research community in this field (Kirk & Haerens, 2014).
Incorporating diverse international voices in physical education and sport pedagogy inquiry enriches the field by broadening perspectives and promoting cultural sensitivity (MacPhail & Lawson, 2020). Different regions bring unique challenges, practices, and values, which enhance our understanding of effective and inclusive pedagogical approaches. This diversity fosters innovative methodologies, making research outcomes more globally relevant and adaptable. Including varied voices also supports equity and ensures the needs of underrepresented communities are addressed, contributing to a more holistic, accessible field. At the same time, international collaboration strengthens the scientific community, advancing research that is culturally responsive and impactful across diverse educational contexts (O’Sullivan, 2007).
The non-English-speaking countries and communities can offer invaluable contributions to global physical education and sport pedagogy research by introducing diverse cultural insights, pedagogical traditions, and unique approaches to health, education, social justice, and related areas. These perspectives expand the field’s understanding of varied learning styles and community needs, promoting nontraditional physical education and physical activity practices integral to daily life. Engaging with non-English research, such as studies from Spanish and Latin-America sources, fosters inclusivity, improves access to knowledge for underrepresented populations, and enriches the research base with innovative practices and culturally relevant methodologies. This inclusivity ultimately strengthens global collaboration and promotes a richer, more holistic approach to physical education and sport pedagogy research.
Considering the rationale above, the purpose of the special series was to present the current research trends and approaches in physical education as implemented by scholars from various Spanish-speaking countries. Also, to provide an opportunity to better understand the influence that specific cultural, geopolitical, and linguistic contexts have on creating transformative learning and teaching in physical education (Quennerstedt, 2019) through a variety of methodological approaches and perspectives. The following papers were selected and published in this Special series of the Journal of Teaching in Physical Education: (a) Evaluando la paradoja “Fat but Fit” en el rendimiento cognitivo y logro académico de los adolescentes: Un análisis de clases latentes – Proyecto Cogni-Acción (Espinoza-Puelles et al., 2024); (b) Internacionalización, amor relacional y crítica decolonial: dialogando para la transformación de la academia y la educación física (Castro-García et al., 2024); (c) Evaluación de una propuesta educativa en Educación Física para promocionar el uso de la bicicleta al centro educativo en adolescentes: Estudio PACO (Molina-García et al., 2024); (d) Influencers de la Educación Física en Instagram: el Engranaje entre Conocimiento Experto, Estrategias de Micro-celebridad y Funcionalidades de la Plataforma (Alcolea Lozano & Camacho-Miñano, 2024); (e) En el buen camino. Colaboración entre maestros e investigadores para la implementación del aprendizaje cooperativo en la educación física de educación primaria (Arumí-Prat et al., 2024); y (f) ¿Qué mueve a profesores y profesoras de Educación Física en formación a impartir clase con distintos estilos (des)motivadores? Un enfoque por género basado en el modelo circular (Mayo-Rota et al., 2024).
The featured papers represent the importance on promoting a variety of solid scholarship and academic performance in different areas exploring topics as cognitive and academic performance in adolescents; decolonial critique as an approach to transform academia; promotion of health-related approaches; social media influencers in physical education, cooperative learning, and the importance of support between teachers and researchers; and motivational teaching styles in physical education. These papers reflect the importance of offering a comprehensive approach promoting a space that nurtures and fosters inclusive and positive environments for teaching and learning. They collectively emphasize the role of innovative, culturally aware, and collaborative approaches in fostering holistic development and equity in physical education.
This special series advocates for an international, collaborative, and inclusive research community in physical education and sport pedagogy (MacPhail & Luguetti, 2021), emphasizing the need for diverse voices and interdisciplinary approaches to enhance global understanding (Knight, 2003). Including contributions from non-English-speaking regions and countries, depicts and enriches the field by bringing in varied cultural insights, pedagogical practices, and socially relevant perspectives. These diverse viewpoints foster culturally sensitive methodologies, support equity, and address underrepresented communities’ needs to provide an in-depth reflection of the realities of today, which physical education and sport pedagogy academia should aspire to accomplish in a near future.
References
Alcolea Lozano, A., & Camacho-Miñano, M.J. (2024). Influencers de la educación física en instagram: el engranaje entre conocimiento experto, estrategias de microcelebridad y funcionalidades de la plataforma. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education. Advance online publication.
Arumí-Prat, J., Torres-Cladera, G., & Pla-Campas, G. (2024). “En el buen camino”: Colaboración entre maestros e investigadores para la implementación del aprendizaje cooperativo en la educación física de educación primaria. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education. Advance online publication.
Castro-García, M., Moreno Doña, A., & Barquero-Ruiz, C. (2024). Internacionalización, amor relacional y crítica decolonial: dialogando para la transformación de la academia y la educación física. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education. Advance online publication.
Espinoza-Puelles, J.P., Martínez-Flores, R., Peña-Jorquera, Lizana, P.A., Brand, C., Mello, J.B., & Cristi-Montero, C. (2024). Evaluando la paradoja “Fat but Fit” en el rendimiento cognitivo y logro académico de los adolescentes: Un análisis de clases latentes – Proyecto Cogni-Acción. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education. Advance online publication.
Kirk, D., & Haerens, L. (2014). New research programmes in physical education and sport pedagogy. Sport, Education and Society, 19(7), 899–911.
Knight, J. (2003). Updating the definition of internationalisation. International Higher Education, 33, 2–3.
MacPhail, A., & Lawson, H. (Eds.). (2020). School physical education and teacher education: Collaborative redesign for the 21st century. Routledge.
MacPhail, A., & Luguetti, C. (2021). Nurturing solidarity: Considering the internationalization of research activities in kinesiology as a moral practice. International Journal of Kinesiology in Higher Education, 5(2), 56–67.
Mayo-Rota, C., García-González, L., Diloy-Peña, S., García-Cazorla, J., & Abós, A. (2024). ¿Qué mueve a profesores y profesoras de Educación Física en formación a impartir clase con distintos estilos (des)motivadores? Un enfoque por género basado en el modelo circular. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education. Advance online publication.
Molina-García, J., Huertas-Delgado, F.J., Campos-Garzón, P., Chillón, P. (2024). Evaluación de una propuesta educativa en Educación Física para promocionar la bicicleta como modo de transporte al centro educativo en adolescentes: Estudio PACO. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education. Advance online publication.
O’Sullivan, M. (2007). Research quality in physical education and sport pedagogy. Sport, Education and Society, 12(3), 245–260.
Quennerstedt, M. (2019). Physical education and the art of teaching: transformative learning and teaching in physical education and sports pedagogy. Sport, Education and Society, 24(6), 611–623.
