ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how socially-critical research has been used and describes the physical education literature, noting a lack of consistency in its conceptualization. It discusses a main critical element, inquiry-based education centered in action. Inquiry becomes the central pedagogical process for developing, implementing and assessing physical education curricula. A shift from content as the organizing centre to inquiry-based pedagogy as the organizing centre ultimately requires a reconceptualization of physical education. Activist research in physical education demonstrates that when teachers use inquiry-based learning centered in action, they can and do facilitate girls' active and willing engagement in physical education. The girls articulated that within their physical education class one of the barriers to students' engagement and enjoyment was a lack of communication and trust and that this caused animosity among many of the students. Positioned as "active researchers", the students worked through the processes of defining the issues, planning for action, generating action, and reflecting on the outcomes of the process.
