The Body in Group Exercise for Older Persons: Implications of the Explicit, Implicit and Null Curricula

Autor/in	Harvey, Kelsey
Titel	The Body in Group Exercise for Older Persons: Implications of the Explicit, Implicit and Null Curricula
Quelle	In: Sport, Education and Society, 28 (2023) 1, S.92-104 (13 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Harvey, Kelsey)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1357-3322
DOI	10.1080/13573322.2021.1979954
Schlagwörter	Human Body; Exercise; Group Activities; Older Adults; Aging (Individuals); Trainers; Training; Curriculum; Hidden Curriculum; Social Bias; Social Influences; Cultural Influences; Foreign Countries; Body Composition; Evaluation; Clothing; Teaching Methods; Canada; United States + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Menschlicher Körper; Übung; Gruppenaktivität; Älterer Erwachsener; Aging; Altern; Ausbildungslehrer; Trainer; Ausbildung; Curricula; Lehrplan; Rahmenplan; Heimlicher Lehrplan; Sozialer Einfluss; Cultural influence; Kultureinfluss; Ausland; Evaluierung; Kleidung; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Kanada; USA
Abstract	Bodywork describes the work people perform on their own and other people's bodies. Often, this work is performed in an effort to meet cultural, symbolic body norms. The aims of bodywork in fitness for older exercisers are said to serve as a means of controlling and resisting the aging process. Given the popularity of group exercise for older exercisers, this paper focused on three forms of bodywork undertaken by/performed on older exercisers in group classes: assessing, monitoring and directing clients' bodies. Using an Institutional Ethnography approach, I explicate how instructor training is connected to the bodywork practices that take place in group exercise classes. Methods consisted of a textual analysis of 8 Canadian and American instructor training curricula; observations and interviews with 22 group fitness instructors; and go-alongs and interviews with 14 older exercisers. Findings revealed that some topics included in the explicit curricula taught to fitness instructors lie outside their scope of practice. The hidden curricula uphold ageist sociocultural norms, as well as conflate (older) age, (greater) weight/(larger) size and bodily (dis)function, which are then materially codified in what is considered (age) appropriate fitness apparel. Finally, the null curriculum, or what is left out of the training, has the potential to cause harm, marginalize and stigmatize older exercisers. To conclude, I argue that group exercise instructors and the organizations that develop fitness curricula, could benefit from engaging in a reflective practice that investigates: (1) how some of the sociocultural and discursive representations of older bodies in training curricula might be problematic and stigmatize older people; and (2) how the null curricula might cause harm to exercisers, especially exercisers like older persons who are already marginalized. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01