ABSTRACT
The notion of a critical pedagogy was introduced to the sport and physical education community in the early to mid-1980s (e.g. Kirk 1986; Lawson 1984; McKay and Pearson 1984). This early work challenged some conventional assumptions, ideas and practices in physical education teacher education and sports science degree courses, and was intended mainly for the consumption of teacher educators and prospective teachers. While the notion attracted some interest in the latter half of the 1980s, it was also roundly criticised for being long on critique and short on constructive alternatives (e.g. O'Sullivan et al. 1992). At the time, much of the writing on critical pedagogy was concerned with advocacy rather than action, and this critical response was perhaps justified.
