Beginning my PhD Journey
Having spent the past 15 years teaching Physical Education (PE) in Ireland- with a short stint in Australia- I was delighted to accept a Research Ireland Enterprise Partnership Scheme Scholarship to begin a PhD here in the PESS Department at the University of Limerick in September 2024.
The Enterprise Partnership Scheme is a unique initiative that connects academic researchers with industry partners to support impactful, applied research. My PhD is being carried out in collaboration with Athena Analytics, an award-winning Irish EdTech company that provides academic tracking tools for secondary schools.
This partnership allows me to be based in PESS while working closely with Athena, aligning perfectly with my professional interests in adolescent fitness monitoring, software development, and research-informed practice.
Project Goals and Vision
My PhD aims to improve how adolescent physical fitness is assessed and understood in Irish secondary schools, through two key objectives:
- Enhancing Athena FitnessMark
In partnership with Athena Analytics, I am developing and refining the Athena FitnessMark digital platform used by PE departments to record, monitor, and report on students’ fitness. This work responds to international calls for scalable tech solutions that enable large-scale school-based data collection and centralised analysis. The goal is to create a practical, teacher-friendly tool that supports both classroom use and national research efforts.
2. Establishing National Normative Fitness Data on Adolescents
Using the updated platform, I will collect fitness data from a nationally representative sample of Irish secondary school students (ages 13-18), stratified by school type, location, and socio-economic background. While many countries have such benchmarks, Ireland does not- and this dataset will provide valuable reference values for students, teachers, researchers, and policymakers.
Together, these goals aim to bridge technology, education, and public health- helping to shape more informed, evidence-based approaches to fitness assessment in Irish schools.
Progress to Date
The project is now well underway. I’m currently completing a scoping review of international fitness test battery software platforms to better understand how fitness testing is being supported digitally in schools worldwide. This will inform the continued development of FitnessMark and ensure we are aligned with best practices globally.
In addition, I recently conducted a national survey of PE teachers in Irish secondary schools, which received responses from 351 teachers across 278 schools (38.5% of all schools). The survey explored current practices, attitudes toward fitness testing, and openness to adopting digital tools. Early findings are encouraging- fitness testing is widespread, and there’s a clear appetite among teachers for a platform like FitnessMark to support their work.
Looking Ahead
As I look ahead to the 2025/26 academic year, I’m excited to begin working with schools to collect nationally representative physical fitness data on adolescent girls and boys from all over the country. This is a unique opportunity to develop a much-needed national dataset while supporting teachers with practical, research-informed tools. I’m grateful for the support of Research Ireland, Athena Analytics, the PESS Department at UL, and especially my supervisor, Dr. Brendan O’ Keeffe, in helping bring this work to life.
Eoin Joy is a PhD candidate in the Department of Physical Education & Sport Sciences, University of Limerick.
Contact: Eoin.joy@ul.ie LinkedIn
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