Towards agentic health and wellbeing - critical thoughts to extend curricular physical literacy from school to home

Murray, A., Murray, Pamela ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8009-6900, Howells, K., Johnston, B. and Cowley, J. (2025) Towards agentic health and wellbeing - critical thoughts to extend curricular physical literacy from school to home. In: 21st International Study Association on Teachers & Teaching [ISATT] Biennial Conference, 30 June - 4 July 2025, University of Glasgow. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

The presentation gives attention to applications of Models-based practice (MdP) as an alternative to traditional multi-activity sport technique as involved in education of physicality.

Metacognition is presented as a pedagogical exemplar by which to integrate critical thinking into movement skills, knowledge and competencies. Physical literacy, as the knowledge, confidence and capability to be active throughout life, is explored in school and community settings. The work aims to identify enablers of a fulfilling and healthier life through the coupling of critical thinking when engaged in physical movement with the development of agency towards agentic health and wellbeing (in school and out).

Alison Morag Murray1, Pamela Murray2, Kristy Howells3, Brian Johnston4, Joe Cowley5

1University of Stirling; 2University of Worcester; 3Canterbury Christ Church University; 4University of Stirling; 5University of Stirling

It is every child’s right to thrive. To attain and sustain wellbeing, children need to have critical thinking proficiency as well as physical literacy. Metacognition is acknowledged as complex to define (Kuhn, 2021), yet a fundamental disposition for learning. In the current study, participants experienced a semester of a co-constructed PE curriculum. Whilst the curricular plan was set, the game form choices across one of the two weekly lessons was student designed, applying the content and FITT principles across preferred game forms. Four classes experienced the curricular progression spiral through either direct or metacognitive instruction. Both assert children can learn basic skills as a pre-requisite to higher order thinking processes (Stockyard et al., 2018). This project examined the extent to which participants could forward plan, implementing declarative, procedural knowledge in their respective contexts when out of school. For this to occur, students, it was hypothesized, would need to be possess knowledge of what and how to perform their suggested activities, effectively using guidance from FITT principles (frequency, intensity, time, type of physical activity) to best serve their exercise and physical activity targets. Furthermore, it is postulated that they would need have agency in knowing and being able to organise themselves in the context of the respective environment without the explicit support of a teacher. Both approaches have merit for various goals and contexts. In the current context, teachers (n=2) approached the same content and activities through differing lines of more to less direct inquiry. The data collection adopted a quasi-experimental study design and employed a mixed methodology. Participating students (n=100) completed formative and summative national level evaluations, together with pre-post evaluations around critical thinking and health related fitness biomotor indices. The presentation explores critical thinking competence from school to home practice.

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