Finding the sweet spot of physically active learning: A need for co-ownership by public health and education

Abstract

The growing interest in Physically Active Learning (PAL) (e.g. in practice and research) warrants exploration of multi-stakeholders’ perceptions, understandings, and enactment of PAL. Eighteen semi-structured interviews with professionals from eight countries (n = 6 researchers, n = 6 teachers and n = 6 teacher educators) were conducted and analysed thematically eliciting three themes; 1) placing PAL on a continuum, 2) putting PAL into action in the everyday, 3) navigating through PAL. A complex and nuanced representation of PAL was given, demonstrating substantial ambiguity and a need to integrate the dominant paradigms (education and public health) to develop a shared understanding of PAL.