As academic thinking about and around physical education continues to flourish and develop, this new title in the Routledge series, Major Themes in Education, meets the need for an authoritative reference work to make sense of the subject's vast literature and the continuing explosion in research output. Edited by David Kirk of the Institute for Sport and Physical Activity Research at the University of Bedfordshire, this Routledge Major Work set is a four-volume collection of foundational and cutting-edge contributions that cover all of the major themes in physical education.

With a comprehensive introduction, newly written by the editor, which places the collected material in its historical and intellectual context, Physical Education is an essential work of reference. It is destined to be valued by specialists in physical education and scholars working in related areas--as well as by educational policy-makers and professionals--as a vital one-stop research tool.