Addressing Psychosocial Issues in Physical Education

This textbook takes pre-service and current Physical Education teachers through some of the most common psychosocial challenges PK-12 students face and recommends ways to support them within and beyond the ‘gymnasium’ classroom. Each chapter blends theoretical perspectives and real-world examples to foster connections with students, developing relationships that support their social, emotional, and physical health, and ultimately, their academic progress.

The content of this book guides studying and practicing physical educators in building relationships with their students, enabling trust, increasing engagement, and improving overall outcomes. Within these chapters, the author covers the topics of anxiety, self-regulation, trauma, bullying, and diversity issues that impact students daily and provides related scenarios educators might encounter. Case studies and discussion questions help scaffold every topic for course use and are based on best practices from the author’s own Psychosocial Aspects of Physical Education module.

This book is geared toward undergraduate and graduate PETE students taking psychosocial or related courses as well as student and full-time teachers. The author promotes future and current educators’ understanding of important factors affecting student learning both in and outside of the gymnasium, increasing both physical and emotional safety during movement activities.

Author Biography

Matthew R. Martin is a Full Professor of Physician Education at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU), where he has been teaching on Psychosocial Aspects of Physical Education every semester for over 10 years, with over 20 years teaching PETE undergraduate and graduate students.