Barriers to and opportunities for integrating climbing in physical education

Abstract

This study aimed to describe barriers to and opportunities for integrating climbing, as a form of adventure education, in Austrian school physical education (PE). Guided by the theoretical framework of self-determination theory and the pedagogical model of Outdoor Adventure Education, fourteen teachers with and without experience in integrating climbing in PE were interviewed using a semi-structured interview approach. Teachers reported positive impacts of climbing in the pedagogical areas of sociological competencies and adventure experience, as well as physiological and psychological benefits. Potential barriers referred to organizational aspects including time, group size and infrastructure. They stated that the integration of climbing in PE depended solely on the willingness of the PE teacher to integrate it. Advanced training courses for PE teachers may foster implications of adventure education in PE and its integration into the school curriculum in order to address the youth culture and provide a meaningful experience in PE.