Social representations of Physical Education: A systematic literature review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: School Physical Education (PE), a mandatory subject and a field of symbolic dispute, suffers from stereotypes that reduce it to sports practice or "playing ball," which compromises its social image and contributes to its curricular marginalization. Social representations can thus help understand the meanings attributed to PE amidst debates intensified after the implementation of the BNCC (Common National Curricular Base).
OBJECTIVE: Map investigations conducted between 2014 and 2025 regarding social representations and PE.
METHODS: A Systematic Literature Review was performed following the PRISMA method. Searches were conducted in the databases Banco de Teses e Portal de Periódicos, SciELO, and Google Scholar using the advanced search terms "representações sociais" and "educação física" for the period January 2014 to September 2025. After applying inclusion/exclusion criteria, 11 studies (articles, dissertations, and theses) were selected for final analysis. Data were systematized into thematic categories using Content Analysis.
RESULTS: The scientific production, exclusively within the national context (Brazil), was constant. The 11 selected studies were organized into three categories. The first, "Social Representations of the PE Teacher," indicates a transition towards the view of a transformative educator, although the professional identity in schools remains fragile and the discipline marginalized. The second, "Social Representations and Teacher Training," reveals the individualization of continuing education and the devaluation of the Licentiate degree. The third category, "Social Representations of PE in Different Contexts," shows PE predominantly associated with the Biodynamics subarea and biological sciences.
CONCLUSION: Understanding and deconstructing social representations is essential to strengthen PE as a critical curricular component. A noted gap is the near absence of studies on the social representations that teachers of other curricular components hold about PE.