This paper seeks to contribute to the ongoing international conversation on how Models-based Practice (MbP) can be understood and applied, by addressing the main concerns identified in recent literature: the viability of a models-based physical education, the diversity of contexts in which MbP can be enacted, and the quality of an MbP-oriented Physical Education. Ultimately, if we believe in the potential of MbP, to paraphrase Kirk (2025), as an alternative to the multi-activity sport-technique model, then how should MbP be conceived—or how might we look at it differently? In this paper, I attempt to move a little closer to that answer.
To do so, an instrumental case study design with an ethnographic orientation was adopted. The case examined is Ireland’s Senior Cycle Physical Education (SCPE) curriculum, which, in my view, offers meaningful insights into how a Models-based Physical Education can be viable, diverse, and of high quality.
The main conclusions highlight that the unique structure of the SCPE provides valuable lessons: (1) including MbP in the curriculum can serve as a strategy to integrate it into teachers’ everyday practice, (2) MbP should be regarded as a flexible approach, adaptable to diverse educational contexts, and (3) when a range of models are employed, MbP can contribute to a high-quality physical education for everybody.
As I mention in the paper, I would first like to apologise for discussing a context in which I have only been immersed for three years. However, sometimes the perspective of an “out-insider” can help to shed light on and appreciate the achievements within that very context. Secondly, I would like to express my gratitude to the Sport Pedagogy group at the University of Limerick for their support in helping me to understand and become immersed in this context.
Barquero-Ruiz, C. (2025). Addressing contemporary concerns in models-based practice: insights from Ireland’s national physical education curriculum. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2025.2579017
Dr. Carmen Barquero Ruiz is an Associate Professor in Physical Education in the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, UL.
Contact: Carmen.Barqueroruiz@ul.ie. Follow on twitter: @cbarquero93. Research Profiles: Researchgate, ORCID, Linked-In.
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