How Is Physical Literacy Defined? A Contemporary Update

By C. Shearer, H. Goss, L. Edwards, R. Keegan, Zoe Knowles, L. Boddy, E. Durden-Myers, L. Foweather. Journal of teaching in physical education, 2018

118 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Physical literacy continues to gain global momentum, yet the definition and underlying concept of physical literacy remain contested in both research and practice. This lack of clarity has the potential to undermine the operationalization of physical literacy. This paper considers the various definitions of physical literacy that are currently adopted internationally. Physical literacy experts identified seven leading groups that have established physical literacy initiatives. Although each group is unified in using the term physical literacy, there are contrasting definitions and interpretations of the concept. Common themes were identified, including the (a) influence of physical literacy philosophy, (b) core elements of physical literacy, (c) lifelong nature of physical literacy, and (d) the need to scientifically pursue a robust operationalization of the concept. We conclude by recommending that programs relating to physical literacy should provide a definition, a clear philosophical approach, and transparency with how their actions align with this approach.

Subfields: Developmental and Educational Psychology, Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation, Sociology and Political Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/7e5ad6c79beb60b6a13844e75cd7ec4d93166d0d

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Developmental and Educational Psychology

1. E. Durden-Myers
2. M. Whitehead
3. P. Morgan
4. S. Vella
5. N. Pot
6. Lisa M. Barnett
7. Anthony Okely
8. D. Dudley

In Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation

1. E. Durden-Myers
2. N. Pot
3. M. Whitehead
4. P. Morgan
5. S. Vella
6. D. Dudley
7. R. Keegan
8. H. Fitzgerald

In Sociology and Political Science

1. E. Durden-Myers
2. N. Pot
3. M. Whitehead
4. P. Morgan
5. D. Dudley
6. R. Keegan
7. William M. Roberts
8. H. Fitzgerald

Citations in the corpus

• Defining Physical Literacy for Application in Australia: A Modified Delphi Method (2019, background): “On one hand, several groups have argued for the adoption of a single, agreed definition and framework, a priori, to avoid confusion as described by Shearer et al. (2018).”
• Physical Literacy From Philosophy to Practice (2018, background): “However, the increasing use of physical literacy has led to divergent definitions, which are not always consistent with the definition set out by the IPLA (Higgs, 2010; IPLA, 2016; Jurbala, 2015; Shearer et al., 2018; Whitehead, 2001).”