Touch and contact in physical education, narratives of fear

Physical contact is an inevitable aspect of physical education, yet the discomfort which this engenders in a risk averse climate makes tactile interaction between adult and child distinctly problematic. This book will analyse the contemporary challenges and practical tensions that surround the act of touch between physical education (PE) teachers and their pupils, attempting to understand the influence of a culture of accusation on professional identity. Utilising semi-structured interviewing with a range of PE staff, the findings have been analytically reinterpreted to form a fictional narrative, representing empirical discussion in a way that cultivates an evocative interrogation of adult/child discomfort. The use of two differing methodological approaches deliberately exploits parallels which may not be immediately apparent. The combination of ‘conventional’ empirical method with ‘alternative’ techniques allows us to redefine the traditional alongside a procedurally sound investigation, taking advantage of the interplay between what is both said and unsaid.