One of the problems faced in explaining differences between physical education and sport is that thee is no single accepted definition of either. There are a number of definitions, or at least descriptions, of physical education and sport.
With regard to physical education, the National Curriculum Physical Education Working Group (NCPEWG) stated that:
Physical education educates young people in and through the use and knowledge of the body and its movement. It:
- Develops physical competence and enables pupils to engage in worthwhile physical activities.
- Promotes physical development and teaches pupils to value the benefits of participation in physical activity whilst at school and throughout life.
- Develops artistic and aesthetic understanding within and through movement.
- Helps to establish self-esteem through the development of physical confidence and helps pupils to cope with both success and failure in competitive and co-operative physical activities.
Physical education also contributes to:
- The development of problem-solving skills
- The development of inter-personal skills
- The forging of links between the school and the community, and across cultures.
Physical education aims to develop physical competence so that pupils are able to move efficiently, effectively and safely and understand what they are doing. It is essentially a way of learning through action, awareness and observation.
On the other hand, the council of Europe in its European Sports Charter (1992) stated that:
Sports means all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organized participation, aims at improving physical fitness and mental well-being, forming social relationships or obtaining results in competition at all levels.
To the School Sport Forum, sport covered:
- Competitive games and sports...
- Outdoor pursuits, in which participants seek to negotiate some particular 'terrain'...
- Aesthetic movement... e.g. dance, figure skating, forms of rhythmic gymnastics and recreational swimming;
- Conditioning activity... improving or maintaining physical working capacity and engendering subsequently a feeling of general well-being.
This broad interpretation allows for a range of interests to be acknowledged, and for many forms of participation to be encountered within the provision of 'sport'.
Despite similarities in, and possible overlap between, some definitions, many people have concluded that physical education and sport are not the same. Murdoch (1990) viewed physical education and sport as 'distinct phenomena'. Further, NCPEWG identified physical education as being unique and different to sport:
Sport covers a range of physical activities in which adults and young people may participate. Physical education on the other hand is a process of leaning, the context being mainly physical. The purpose of this process is to develop specific knowledge, skills and understanding and to promote physical competence. Different sporting activities can and do contribute to that learning process, and the learning enables participation in sport. The focus however is on the child and his or her development of physical competence, rather than on the activity.
This suggests ways in which physical education and sport are different of distinct and not synonymous...
Central differences between Physical Education & Sport
Physical education is essentially an educational process whereas the focus in sport is on the activity
The NCPEWG (1991) emphasized that, in physical education the focus is on the process of learning in a mainly physical context, whereas in sport greater focus is placed on the activity and the emphasis may be placed on the end product, i.e. the performance or outcome.
'In physical education the emphasis is on learning in a mainly physical context. The purpose of the learning is to develop specific knowledge, skills and understanding and to promote physical development and competence. The learning promote participation in sport' (National Curriculum Council (NNC) 1992).
On the other hand,
'Sport is the term applied to a range of physical activities where emphasis is on participation and competition. Different sporting activities can and do contribute to learning' (NNC, 1992).
Murdoch (1997) stressed that through participating in physical education it is important that pupils are equipped to 'continue to be engaged in the learning process even after hey have left school'. She emphasised that the process of learning through planning, performance and evaluating gives integrity to the learning of discrete activity areas and 'strengthens the uniqueness of the process to physical education'. Activities are selected for inclusion in a physical education program me for a particular purpose...
This difference between physical education and sport can be illustrated by an example. Whereas a gymnastics coach, for example, might simply be concerned with producing the correct pattern of movement for a particular vault, the physical education teacher might focus on assisting the pupil to engage in a process which involves planning their approach (for example, length, speed of run up, angle of approach), performing the action and evaluating the performance (establishing the feeling, repeating the movement exactly, varying the movement, adapting the movement through repositioning the hands and so on). The focus on the learning process may provide a knowledge of principles which asset the pupil in learning new skills.
This is linked to physical education commencing from the perspective of the child and dimensions of the child's physical learning whereas sport starts from the perspective of the activity that is to be learned. Talbot reminded us that in physical eduction 'the game is not the thing, the child is' (Talbot, 1987). Further, Lee stressed that 'while training and coaching may be concerned with developing performance, education is concerned with developing people' (Lee, 1986).
Physical education involves motor skill development and need not involve sporting activities.
A focus on the child requires careful consideration of childrens' needs at different stages in their development. During the early (pr5 or nursery) years, physical activity has a base in play and playfulness. Structured support for learning through physical education assists the child to develop from this base. During the nursery and primary phases of education, physical education should encompass the learning of fundamental motor skills to form the foundation for participation in a range of physical activities. The primary years are important for helping children to gain mastery of their own bodies. Physical education is concerned with motor skill development and not just learning particular sports. Thus, the focus in physical education for very young pupils - nursery - KS1 - should not be on competing, which is necessarily involved in sports context, as this may be to advanced for their stage of cognitive development. The foundation provided at this stage can be the basis for 'more formal phases of participation in the activities of physical education and sport, moving from simple to complex versions' (Murdoch, 1990). Activities incorporated into physical education at later stages may not necessarily be sports.
Physical education is a concept broader than sport
Physical education is a concept broader than sport. Physical education encompasses sport but also embraces other physical activities which may or may not be sport, depending on reasons for participation, e.g. outdoor and adventurous activities (OAA). These activities are, or may not be, conceptually linked to competition which is inherent in sports. There are aspects of OAA that usefully form part of the learning process to enable the aims of physical education to be fulfilled, such as planning and taking part in an expedition. However, these do not constitute involvement in sport or preparation for such involvement. Thus, there is no inherent necessity that all forms of physical education should foster and promote the kind of competitive behavior which is essential to sport.
In physical education, sports should be selected for inclusion in the curriculum for the potential they have for the learning that is to take place and not vice versa. If the focus in physical education were only on sport there could be a narrow focus to the curriculum.
Further, there are a number of aims for physical education which can be achieved through participation in activities other than sports. One of the aims of physical education can be the aspirations for as many pupils as possible to integrate physical activity as part of their lifestyle. Some pupils may not choose to integrate sport into their lifestyle, but may choose other forms of physical activity.
Tinning identified a danger of using sport education in physical education and highlighted the need to de-emphasize the 'educational purpose of physical education' (Tinning, 1995). He considered that the work of physical education professionals would be
better facilitated by reaffirming that sport is merely one medium (in physical activity) for the development of physically educated citizens. It should not be the central focus of physical education in schools. To allow physical education to be distilled to sport... is to sell our subject short. Certainly sport should be part of a physical education curriculum... but we must remember that sport is not the most reinforcing movement form for countless individuals (Tinning, 1995).
Physical education should benefit every pupil in the group regardless of ability and enthusiasm for the subject; therefore an emphasis on sport and with it an emphasis on competition and competitive success (e.g. at inter-house level on a traditional sports day or at inter-school level) can result in finite resources being used for a few elite performers rather than being available to encourage participation in physical activity for all. 'If one spends a disproportionate amount of time on just a few pupils (in physical education or elsewhere) then it is only to be expected that a higher level of performance will be achieved' (Leaman, 1988). Many would regard such an allocation of resources as basically unfair and to be avoided in a school. Thus, 'instead of the expense of transporting a small minority of students to distant corners of the country, a lunchtime and after-school activity program me could be developed that appeals to the full spectrum of youngsters' interests (Fox, 1996).
Most would agree, however, that the pursuit of excellence is important for the able performer. Physical education teachers have a role in identifying potential and enabling pupils to develop their potential, but whose role is it to develop excellence? To what degree should excellence be a focus for schools if it is at the expense of less assistance, effort, time and resources being given to the less able to help them to achieve their potential? What role should physical education and physical education staff play in the development of excellence? As Fox (1996) contended:
The school is not wholly responsible; as many children will take part in swimming, gymnastics, dance and other sports activities... Increasingly also, youngsters play sport through the club system on weekends and older adolescents are beginning to enroll in formal exercise classes and take membership at fitness clubs. An important role for schools is to make links and alliances with these alternative agencies.
Thus, identification of potential may occur in physical education time, but development of that potential to achieve excellence can occur in extra-curricular time or through pupils being referred to opportunities at local sports clubs or other types of community provision. Developing potential is an integral part of the sports development continuum (ESC, 1997).
Notes taken from Physical education and sport by Susan Capal
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