Embracing embodiment: the value of infographics for diverse sports coaching students

Abstract

This article explores the value of infographics for sports coaching students from diverse backgrounds, drawing on theories of embodiment to unfold how infographics can afford embodied and inclusive learning. Sports coaching educators have a professional interest in the human body and its role in learning and pedagogical practice. Yet, despite our inherently embodied nature, dominant conceptions of knowledge in education continue to prioritize the mind over the body. This separation is also reflected in Higher Education practices and discussions of infographics, where the absence of embodiment is particularly noticeable. The study moves beyond a linear and binary understanding of learning with infographics, adopting a more holistic perspective that emphasizes their dynamic interplay with students embedded in the environment. Embracing a/r/tography as a methodology of embodiment and relational inquiry, the study generated data from 19 sports coaching students through art-informed focus groups. Through situational mapping and thematic analysis, the study revealed that the value of infographics for these students lies in affording them to make sense of infographics with/through the body. This relational perspective extends the value of infographics beyond a reductionist and binary tool to an embodied one that fosters a more holistic approach to the individual. This shift creates opportunities for inclusive pedagogical practices for sports coaching students, wherein the body as a whole is embraced and empowered.