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Author

Maura Coulter

Other affiliations: St Patrick's College, Dublin
Bio: Maura Coulter is an academic researcher from Dublin City University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Physical education & Teacher education. The author has an hindex of 8, co-authored 28 publications receiving 235 citations. Previous affiliations of Maura Coulter include St Patrick's College, Dublin.

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Investigating school-based physical activity behavior and its determinants in young Irish children found boys and girls are more alike than unlike in their behaviors and attitudes, and teachers should capitalize on the fact that children's favorite subject is physical education to promote physical activity.
Abstract: Background: The promotion of physical activity among young children has become a universal challenge. Children spend large amounts of time in school, making it an attractive setting in which to promote positive health behaviors. The purpose of this study was to investigate school-based physical activity behavior and its determinants in young Irish children. Methods: Participants self-reported school-based free-play activity, commuting to school behavior, and levels of enjoyment of physical education and physical activity. Results: Data were collected from 605 children, mean age was 8.8 years (±2.2; range 5−14 years), 44% were female. Thirty-nine percent of children actively commuted to school, with 40% of males compared with 34.8% of females walking to school. Boys reported more physically active free-play activity (88.6% at break and 90.9% at lunch time) compared with girls (70.8% and 83.7% respectively). Physical education was a top 3 favorite subject for 78% of children and 50.7% reported they would pr...

39 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored discourses shaping pre-service primary teachers' understandings of the nature and purposes of physical education within an Irish context and the relationship between these understandings.
Abstract: Physical education is a socially constructed activity that forms one component of a wider physical culture that includes sport and health/physical activity . The terms sport and physical education are often used interchangeably in school contexts, where sport and health continue to shape what is understood by the term physical education. This study explores discourses shaping pre-service primary teachers' understandings of the nature and purposes of physical education within an Irish context and the relationship between these understandings. A 10-minute writing task prompted by the question ‘what is physical education?’ was completed by a sample of pre-service teachers (n=544, age range 18–46, 8.8% male) from two colleges of education, prior to the physical education component of their teacher education programme. Content analysis involved an initial text frequency search to create categories which were collapsed into three broad areas of students' understandings of physical education—sport, health and ph...

31 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a large-scale (n=326) single question "What is PE?" qualitative methodology was used to access pre-service primary teachers' understandings of the nature and purpose of physical education.
Abstract: Evaluation of professional socialisation can provide insight on the impact of Physical Education Teacher Education. A large-scale (n=326) single question ‘What is PE?’ qualitative methodology was used to access pre-service primary teachers’ understandings of the nature and purpose of physical education . Data analysis involved word frequency queries and coding using a qualitative coding framework based on the dominant discourses of physical education. Trustworthiness of the analysis was addressed using memos, coding checks and peer de-briefing. While responses at the beginning of the programme were dominated by sport and health discourses, an educational discourse grounded in the key messages of the primary physical education curriculum with emphasis on equality of opportunity emerged at the end of the programme. The complexity of addressing understandings in teacher education contexts is highlighted.

29 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper explored primary teachers' experiences of a 6-week physical education professional development program (PE-PDP), which developed their confidence in teaching PE and a greater understanding of the PE curriculum and its purpose.
Abstract: Professional development (PD) is essential for primary school teachers to meet the demands of the education system. Quality PD is aligned with classroom conditions, school contexts and teachers’ daily experiences. The purpose of the study was to explore primary teachers’ experiences of a 6-week physical education professional development programme (PE-PDP). A single school case study was employed (N=28 teachers, N=780 pupils) and all teachers and a sample of children participated in focus group interviews. Transcripts were categorised and themed using systematic content analysis. Results revealed that post the PE-PDP, teachers’ PE content knowledge had expanded and this encouraged them to use existing classroom paedagogical strategies in the PE context. This developed their confidence in teaching PE and a greater understanding of the PE curriculum and its purpose.

29 citations


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Book
01 Jan 2012
Abstract: Experience and Educationis the best concise statement on education ever published by John Dewey, the man acknowledged to be the pre-eminent educational theorist of the twentieth century. Written more than two decades after Democracy and Education(Dewey's most comprehensive statement of his position in educational philosophy), this book demonstrates how Dewey reformulated his ideas as a result of his intervening experience with the progressive schools and in the light of the criticisms his theories had received. Analysing both "traditional" and "progressive" education, Dr. Dewey here insists that neither the old nor the new education is adequate and that each is miseducative because neither of them applies the principles of a carefully developed philosophy of experience. Many pages of this volume illustrate Dr. Dewey's ideas for a philosophy of experience and its relation to education. He particularly urges that all teachers and educators looking for a new movement in education should think in terms of the deeped and larger issues of education rather than in terms of some divisive "ism" about education, even such an "ism" as "progressivism." His philosophy, here expressed in its most essential, most readable form, predicates an American educational system that respects all sources of experience, on that offers a true learning situation that is both historical and social, both orderly and dynamic.

10,294 citations

01 Jan 2016
TL;DR: The the new meaning of educational change is universally compatible with any devices to read, and is available in the authors' digital library an online access to it is set as public so you can get it instantly.
Abstract: Thank you very much for downloading the new meaning of educational change. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have search hundreds times for their chosen novels like this the new meaning of educational change, but end up in infectious downloads. Rather than reading a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they juggled with some malicious virus inside their desktop computer. the new meaning of educational change is available in our digital library an online access to it is set as public so you can get it instantly. Our books collection hosts in multiple locations, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Merely said, the the new meaning of educational change is universally compatible with any devices to read.

1,466 citations