Inclusion within Swedish Physical Education? : Problematizing the ‘text’ surrounding physical education and the experiences of immigrant youth

Interestingly, Swedish government based data suggests that young people from an ‘immigrant’ background are less likely to be representedamong the top ‘scoring’ students within physical education, and more likely to be over-represented among the lower ‘scoring’students. Whilst such data can be problematic and reductive in nature, it also raises important questions surrounding the implementationof democratic practices within physical education in Sweden, which self identifies as a country that has a long and established history ofinclusiveness and equality across all sectors of society. Aim: The aim of this presentation is to look beyond government-based statisticsand to problematize the ‘text’, based on policy documents and academic literature within physical education and the experiences ofimmigrant youth surrounding physical education practice, with a focus on the Swedish context. Methodology: Postcolonialism provides auseful framework to ‘borrow’ from, through which to consider how Eurocentric ways of knowing have shaped the historical developments,curriculum documents and current (dominant) pedagogical practices within physical education. This will allow us to problematizethe physical education experiences of immigrant youth as presented through government statistics. Discussion and Conclusion: Whileresearch has shown that Swedish curriculum has a strong focus on movement and physical activity participation, and that it is less competitiveand performance based when compared to other countries, there still remains a discrepancy between policy and practice. Swedishbased research continues to highlight a tendency for ‘masculine’ (and we would add ‘western’) ball based team sports to dominatephysical education lessons. Furthermore, while the physical education experiences of young immigrants is considered within contemporaryresearch, a dearth of literature remains that actually explores the meaning and place of physical activity and physical education inthe lives of young immigrants, from the young people themselves. In a country that strives for equality across society, gender perspectivescontinue to dominate, and while important, it must be acknowledged that not all ‘males’ and ‘females’ experience their gender in thesame way. It is through exploring and questioning dominant practices within physical education that allow for a more complex understandingof the experiences of young immigrants in physical education. This line of questioning opens up spaces for new possibilitiesand avenues through which to move towards a more sustainable democratic physical education for the future