With physical education understood as the pursuit of knowledge, skills, and dispositions of engaging in physical activity for personal growth and development as indicated above, it is now possible to turn to a consideration of the place of physical education in liberal education and as conceived as a subject in the Leaving Certificate course of studies.
Turning first to the place of physical education in liberal education which may be dealt with more readily, the question of its legitimacy turns largely on whether one relies upon the traditional or the more recent view of liberal education. As defined by leading figures in the field, the traditional idea of a liberal education attended to the cultivation of what Newman (1947, 107) termed ‘intellectual excellence’ and what Hirst and Peters labeled ‘knowledge and understanding in depth and breadth,’ where knowledge was understood in terms of theoretical knowledge. Viewed in this way, liberal education is normally viewed as excluding – and historically did exclude – both physical education and practical education from the curriculum. This does not hold true of the broadly conceived idea emerging in more recent articulations of the idea of a liberal education, however. As is clearly evident in the account just given, in the thinking of Martin and others, the exclusion of practical forms of knowledge from the domain of liberal education is completely unacceptable. This is a position I have elaborated elsewhere (Mulcahy 2008) in arguing for a concept of liberal education informed by a particular interpretation of education as a preparation for life as distinct from merely pursuing theoretical knowledge for its own sake. Relying on this view here while also recognizing that physical education not only entails knowledge and understanding but, in addition, is supportive of overall intellectual and bodily well-being, it is equally unacceptable to rule it ineligible for inclusion in liberal education. And this is to say nothing of the potential of engaging in physical activity as a way of gaining knowledge and understandings inaccessible other than through physical activity. For these reasons, as viewed here physical education ought to be considered a legitimate subject in programs of liberal education in schools and colleges and hence in the Leaving Certificate course.
In transitioning from this point to a consideration of physical education conceived as a subject in the Leaving Certificate course of studies, attention will be given to a few core issues. The first of these is more a matter of strategy than purpose, content, or methodology. In the treatment of physical education as a Leaving Certificate Examination subject it is indicated in the draft syllabus, Leaving Certificate, physical education: Draft syllabus for consultation (NCCA 2011), that it may contribute to the vocational education of students (11) who choose it as a subject for examination. What this means is far from clear but at least at a surface level it would not appear to enhance the claims of physical education to be represented in a program of liberal education. This is especially so when raised in conjunction with elements of the syllabus that have a professional tone to them, as will be considered presently. Of course, in defense of the draft syllabus it could be argued that in being a Leaving Certificate Examination subject, physical education is no more or no less vocational in character than, say, English or physics. One could reasonably argue that they are simply studied to a more advanced level than for the Junior Certificate and that in itself does not make them unfit for a liberal education. Be this as it may, there is broad agreement across almost all variants on the theory of a liberal education that vocational education is antithetical to the very idea. With that in mind, one must ask this question. Are we well advised to refer to the vocational education of students in attempting to fortify the claims of physical education as a Leaving Certificate subject and as a subject seeking inclusion in a program of liberal education? Opponents of this claim will find sufficient reason to object without opening up this line of attack for them.
Turning to a more substantive matter, alongside varying statements of aims or purpose for physical education in the draft syllabus, in summary form it is stated that ‘The aim of Leaving Certificate physical education is to develop the learner's capacity to become informed, skilled, self-directed and reflective performers [sic] in physical education and physical activity in senior cycle and in their future life’ (NCCA 2011, 10). Following on this, seven objectives are set out which aside from the objectives of developing the learner's ‘performance in physical activity’ and ‘capacity to undertake different roles in physical activities’ are essentially cognitive objectives such as the ‘ability to reflect on performance in physical activity’ and ‘appreciation of the benefits of physical activity for lifelong health and wellbeing (10).’ Importantly, it is also claimed that ‘Leaving Certificate physical education has the potential to make a significant contribution to enhancing learners’ commitment to lifelong participation in physical activity (11).’
While the stance in regard to aims or purpose and objectives in the Leaving Certificate physical education course as presented in the draft syllabus needs further development, and the presentation lacks clarity, it is well informed by contemporary developments in the field and it does lay out the broad scope of the idea. So too, the overall content of the course as organized into two broad units of study is broadly well conceived. That is to say, the range of physical activities and sporting activities it identifies, while not exhaustive – and while specifically tailored to the Irish context – does capture well the kind of physical activities appropriate for a course in physical education as set forth in the stipulative definition presented above. It includes knowledge, skills, and dispositions.
Especially welcome in the presentation of structure and content is the dual emphasis on knowledge, skill, and understanding coupled with physical activity and performance. So also is the attention to the relationship between physical education and recreation as well as the inclusion of the activities such as knowing the rules of games and standards of performance and excellence. Less admirable is the lack of attention given to the identification of physical activity skills to be acquired by comparison with the identification of intellectual skills to be learned. Attention to the emotional dimension of physical education is also understated; neither is much said regarding the spiritual, moral, character building, and enjoyment dimensions of physical education. While the main interest of attention in this article is not in teaching method and evaluation of learning, it is necessary to emphasize the role of the student and especially the recognition of the experience, aptitudes, and interests of students, and how these would be relied upon in shaping a student's program. Yet, these aspects are addressed in only the most general way. As a consequence, a key question arises. What is to be the contribution of students in shaping their particular physical education programs? Although this question is not answered in the draft syllabus, it is intimated that somehow the matter is adequately dealt with. I don't think it is.
Of equal concern is the highly rationalist or cognitive emphasis in the Leaving Certificate Examination course and, as just indicated above, an associated orientation toward viewing the subject matter as professional in nature. This orientation becomes explicit when the learner is viewed not as one engaging in his or her own physical education but as a provider of physical education to others. This may be acceptable in a program of physical education for intending teachers. But is it also acceptable when it comes to schoolgoers? There is a further manifestation of the rationalist orientation of the course, this time coupled with an unwelcome element of ambiguity, in the performance levels identified in the two Leaving Certificate units of study. Where one would have expected performance levels to refer to physical performance given the very terminology used, it actually refers to cognitive performance. Consider, for example, the following. The syllabus for physical education is laid out in two units of study, namely, Unit 1: Toward optimum performance and Unit 2: Contemporary issues in physical activity. As stated in unit syllabuses, however, at all times ‘the emphasis is on learners applying their knowledge and understanding of the theoretical factors in planning to achieve their performance goals.’ And so, on the matter of ambiguity, this rather serious question arises. Is this ambiguity somehow supported by an underlying theme of prioritizing the theoretical elements of the course over the practical elements in the draft syllabus itself?
I raise the concern expressed in this question here because of the implications for the conceptualization of physical education as a subject and the good work that has been undertaken in the draft syllabus in conceptualizing physical education in a way that keeps the spotlight on developing the whole child. One does not want to leave open possibilities, whether through oversight or for other reasons, of a departure from such a stance by encouraging or reverting in practice to prioritizing of theory over practice when what is sought after is a balance. This is a concern founded, first, in the identification of two separate courses in the draft syllabus, only one of which is intended as a Leaving Certificate course and, second, in the fate of the subject home economics when it became a Leaving Certificate subject in the late 1960s (Mulcahy 1981, 102–5). E