Basketball shorts, plantation food, and ponytail weaves
Black teachers’ experiences of becoming and being a Physical Education teacher
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21783853 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Louis Francis-Edge (Leeds Beckett University), Annette Stride (0000-0002-7549-8347, Leeds Beckett University, corresponding author), Hayley Fitzgerald (0000-0003-3678-2924, Leeds Beckett University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 338-350 |
| Publication date | 2025-05-04 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1740-8989 • E-ISSN: 1742-5786 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17408989.2023.2230232 |
| OpenAlex | W4383754865 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 23 |
Background Despite increases in the ethnic diversity of the student population within English schools, there remains a distinct lack of Black and minority ethnic representation within the teaching profession. Research has explored the reasons behind this lacuna within education more broadly, highlighting discrimination, verbal abuse, lack of management support, and racial inequalities in pay and promotional opportunities contributing to Black and minority ethnic teachers feeling undervalued. However, within Physical Education (PE), a subject area where this gap is more pronounced, there has been less attention paid to the experiences of Black and minority ethnic teachers.Purpose This paper explores Black teachers’ lived experiences of becoming and being a PE teacher. Two tenets of Critical Race Theory (CRT) are drawn upon – the permanence of racism and counter-storytelling. These offer an interrogative lens to explore White norms and dominant discourses that render the education system inequitable.Method Semi-structured interviews with six self-identified Black PE teachers were used to generate data. Data were initially analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Then, in adopting the position of ‘storyteller’, these data were woven together and the themes reflected in a counterstory featuring three composite, fictional and data driven characters.Discussion The counterstory, featuring Shanice, Leon and Clive is offered, and demonstrates the permanence of racism through the multiplicity of overt and insidious ways it pervades all facets of these characters’ lives. After offering the story we discuss three key themes embedded within it: lack of representation; stereotyping; and acts of resistance.Conclusion In drawing the paper to a close we offer a number of concluding remarks about Shanice and Leon’s experiences. In so doing, we highlight some strategies that can be initiated within schools and higher education that might help to increase the representation of Black educators at all levels of the profession, promote more equitable practice, and better support Black teachers to fulfil their teaching aspirations. The paper ends by recognising the usefulness of counter-storytelling before we contemplate how, as an authorship team, we can extend this research
Art · Ethnic group · Feeling · Narrative · Pedagogy · Racism · Reflexivity · Social science · Sociology · Storytelling · White privilege · Gender Studies · Physical Education and Pedagogy · Psychology · Social Psychology · Sports, Gender, and Society · Youth Development and Social Support
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| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |