Contemplative practices and anti-oppression pedagogy in sport-focused higher education
Sport Higher Education and Critical Pedagogies 2026 DOI: 10.4324/9781003568919-3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that contemplative practices, when integrated into planned classroom activities, can support anti-oppression pedagogy in sport education by helping students learn about oppression and privilege and cultivate mindful, critical awareness of their positionalities and relation to power. |
Abstract
This chapter argues that contemplative practices can be important tools for promoting anti-oppression pedagogical objectives in sport-focused education. It draws from the growing body of research on the pedagogical benefits of contemplative methods and practices that emphasise introspection, compassionate consideration of self and others, and mindful awareness of one’s internal thoughts and feelings. It argues that, when incorporated as part of an educator’s planned classroom activities, contemplative practices such as mindfulness meditation; journalling; moments of silence; deep listening; yoga; and other reflection-, stillness-, and artistic-oriented activities can help students not only learn about the history and existence of forms of oppression and privilege in sport, but also cultivate a mindful and critical awareness of their positionalities and relation to such workings of power. The chapter discusses contemplative practices in relation to the teaching of sport in higher education and provides a sample contemplative classroom activity involving the use of reflective journalling to help students understand the experience of transgender athletes.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |