From Access to Embodied Participation Justice: A Conceptual Review of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in University Physical Activity Settings

ABSTRACT University physical activity provision raises questions about how participation opportunities are organised, experienced and governed. Research on accessibility, inclusive pedagogy, belonging and student voice offers substantial insights, but these perspectives require closer integration when evaluating institutional responsibility. This conceptual review develops embodied participation justice through a purposive synthesis of normative theory, inclusion scholarship and empirical research on university physical activity. It distinguishes evidence from university settings from adjacent educational research and uses empirical studies to examine conceptual relationships rather than estimate the prevalence of exclusion. Embodied participation justice is defined as an equitable institutional condition in which students can pursue and shape valued physical activity as peers, without avoidable, disproportionate burdens associated with bodily difference and social position. Five interconnected conditions are proposed: material and organisational access; pedagogical and programmatic flexibility; affective safety and belonging; cultural recognition; and participatory agency. The framework connects the quality of participation with the distribution, justification and remediation of participation burdens. Intersectionality and institutional context shape how these conditions operate. Three analytical propositions and a differentiated institutional agenda guide future investigation.