Even though Physical Education is considered as a basic right of all children, views vary on what comprises quality Physical Education; Huge differences exist between countries and regions. In this important book the situation of Physical Education is compared by means of a worldwide survey. This allows the definition of some universally accepted features and concepts, and of appropriate responses to common problems. It is the first publication to provide concentrated information on the state of PE around the world.

This joint UNESCO-NWCPEA Project comprised a World-wide physical education survey to inform the development of benchmark indicators on Quality Physical Education (QPE) in schools and Quality Physical Education Teacher Education/Training (QPETE/T) in provider institutions as well as principles of a physical education basic needs model. The survey adopted a multi-method/pluralistic approach to data generation from a range of sources including a specifically designed structured survey questionnaire translated into officially used UNESCO and several other languages seeking quantitative and qualitative data, as well as information derived from recent and current international, continental regional and national physical education-related studies.

Comparative Physical Education and Sport is an area of study that provides very special insights into the changing globalising world that we live in. It is a modern contemporary field of enquiry in a very real sense. This book provides a collection of studies by authors from Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America and Oceania. The authors are academics who have come together by virtue of their interest in Comparative Physical Education and Sport. The issues they address are contemporary because they are universal. The book is organised around three discrete focuses. The first is the deliberate embrace of sport as a vehicle for peace and development, vigorously promoted by the United Nations programs of recent years. The second is the field of physical education in schools. This is an area that has, according to several commentators, struggled in recent times to retain, let alone continue to build, its place in the school curriculum. This, despite the fact that there has never been a greater need for it, particularly in the developed world where the next generation is falling prey to the lifestyle diseases arising from physical inactivity and the over consumption of processed food. The third section focuses on sport management, specifically the growing need for trained professionals to lead and guide the ways in which sport is organised and consumed in the interests of the people within a competitively driven consumer orientated world. The interested reader is invited to consider the relevance of the views expressed and shared in these pages and reflect on the insights they provide as what physical education and sport might grow to look like, in the increasingly interconnected world of the future.

Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic. The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents. Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed. This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents.

This volume about the international and comparative aspects of physical education and sport was developed to meet a need for a comprehensive battery of material tracing the background and development of this aspect of the overall field of physical education/kinesiology. In addition to providing general informatiob, it can also serve as an introductory text in a course experience that a student may have the opportunity to elect in his/her university program, The text is divided into five parts: (1) Historical Orientation: An Emerging Postmodern Age; (2) Comparative Physical Education and Sport in Retrospect; (3) How to Develop the Body of Knowledge About Comparative Physical Education and Sport; (4)A Descriptive Research Format and Exploratory Studies; and (5) Looking to the Future in Physical Activity Education and Educational Sport.

Inclusive Physical Education Around the World is the first book to survey inclusive physical education worldwide, to examine the history of inclusive physical education across different regions, and to compare their policy, practice and educational cultures. Featuring the work of leading researchers from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America, the book provides a unique interdisciplinary contribution to the fields of physical education, history and pedagogy. It provides readers with information on the origins and historical development of inclusion in schools and teaches them about different ways that inclusive physical education has grown and is implemented in different countries. This is essential reading for anybody with an interest in physical education, disability sport, adapted physical activity, special educational needs (SEN) teaching or social justice in education. It is a vital resource for postgraduates, researchers and academics who are interested in studies on inclusion and heterogeneity, as well as sport and cultural historians, physical education teachers and students.

The book provides an insight into the current situation of PE in schools across Europe as a forerunner to addressing PE-related existing and emerging issues in various contexts.