Teaching on body ideals in physical education: a lesson study in Swedish upper secondary school

ABSTRACT ‘Characteristics and consequences of different body ideals’ are a mandatory curriculum content in Swedish physical education (PE). Didactic strategies for teaching on body ideals are, however, scarce. In this paper, we introduce a classroom-based teaching unit on body ideals and present didactic possibilities and challenges of the unit. We used a lesson study approach, drawing on Nutbeam’s concept of health literacy. Our methodology involved focus group interviews with students and teachers, lesson observations and minutes of meetings which we analysed thematically. We found teaching on body ideals to be highly meaningful to students but their engagement differed based on personal backgrounds, school context and didactic design. The gendered nature of body ideals and a lack of embodied didactics constituted challenges, while the use of storied cases emerged as a potent didactic strategy. We conclude with practical recommendations for teaching on body ideals in PE.