Navigating a complex archipelago: teacher educators’ perspectives on the origin and selection of movement knowledge in physical education teacher education

This study explores teacher educators’ (TEs) perspectives on the origins and selection of movement knowledge within Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) in Sweden. Theoretically, the study draws on Bernstein’s pedagogic device. Data were collected through individual and focus group interviews with eight TEs. The results are reported from four perspectives: the diversity of knowledge origins, ambiguity and uncertainty surrounding knowledge origins, autonomy in knowledge selection, and the constraining conditions that shape selection processes. Findings reveal ambiguity in how TEs define the knowledge domain for movement, with influences ranging from movement cultures (e.g., gymnastics, ball games) to related domains such as biomechanics and pedagogy. TEs exercise considerable autonomy in selecting and recontextualizing knowledge, yet this process is constrained by factors such as historical traditions and ideological forces. Limited time for movement education in PETE and internal power relations further complicate decisions about what constitutes legitimate knowledge. Although the origins of movement knowledge remain, at times, unclear, raising questions about its epistemic status and legitimacy within PETE, the field nevertheless possesses considerable potential for further development.