Quality Physical Education

This book represents the culmination of a two-decade effort to describe, define and measure 'quality physical education' (QPE). Presenting in-depth research and analysis from 24 countries across five continents, it offers a truly comparative analysis that shines important new light on policy and practice in contemporary physical education. Opening with an introduction that explores the concept of 'quality' in relation to education and that traces the history of the QPE project, the book then presentscountry-specific chapters that drill down into the evidence. Each chapter outlines the geographical, political, economic, cultural and demographic background of that country, and analyses the development of physical education, sport education and school-based physical activity, as well as the contemporary situation regarding equity, teaching quality, professional training and curriculum development. Each chapter then offers an assessment of the eight factors that constitute the QPE index, including skill development, facilities, accessibility, cultural practices, governmental input, cognitive skill development and habituated behaviour. With a global reach, this book is an invaluable resource for policymakers, curriculum coordinators, administrators, teachers and researchers looking to better understand the enablers and barriers to developing QPE and to develop evidence-based strategies and interventions for promoting and implementing QPE.

Walter Ho is Invited Research Fellow at Tokyo Gakugei University, Tokyo, Japan.

Part I: Background and Initiatives, 1. Quality Physical Education: Global Perspectives, Part II: Quality Physical Education and Country Reports, 2. Quality Physical Education in Australia, 3. Physical Education in Brazil: The Turning Points and Dimensional Development in Quality of Teaching, 4. Quality Physical Education in the Province of Diguillín, Ñuble Region, Chile, 5. The Present and Future of Quality Physical Education in China, 6. Quality Physical Education in Colombia, 7. Global Perspectives and Local Challenges of Quality Physical Education in the Dominican Republic, 8. Quality Physical Education Development in Greece, 9. Quality Physical Education in India, 10. Quality Physical Education and Development in Japan, 11. Quality Physical Education in Jordan: Challenges and Evolutions, 12. Understanding and Advancement of Quality Physical Education in Madagascar, 13. Towards Quality Physical Education in Malaysia, 14. Analysis of Quality Physical Education in Mexico, 15. Quality Physical Education Development in New Zealand, 16. Quality Physical Education in Nigeria, 17. Quality Physical Education in the Philippines: Challenges and Opportunities, 18. Quality Physical Education in Puerto Rico, 19. Nurturing Holistic Development through Quality Physical Education in Saudi Arabia: A Dialectical Approach Considering Gender and Cultural Diversity, 20. Quality Physical Education in Slovakia and Its Challenges, 21. Quality Physical Education in South Africa, 22. The Development of Quality Physical Education in South Korea, 23. Quality Physical Education in Spain, 24. A Glance at Quality Physical Education in Venezuela, 25. Quality Physical Education in Zambia, Part III: Conclusion and Forward, 26. Quality Physical Education and the Global Perspectives: Conclusion and Future Outlook