Understanding physical literacy in Indonesia : a mixed-methods study of former facilitators in a national physical education teacher development program

Physical literacy (PL) has been formally recognized in Indonesia's sports law; however, it has not yet been explicitly operationalized within curriculum documents, teacher development frameworks, or classroom assessment practices. This study examined how former national facilitators involved in Indonesia's Physical Education Teacher Competency Development Program understand, interpret, and perceive PL within the Indonesian physical education context. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was employed. Quantitative data were collected through a survey of 108 former national facilitators representing 27 of the 28 provinces from which national facilitators were selected, followed by semi-structured interviews with seven facilitators from major island regions. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and interview data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's (2006) thematic analysis. The findings indicated that PL was already recognizable to many facilitators; however, its terminology remained unstable and not yet standardized, with multiple terms circulating through fragmented informal channels before a shared conceptual language had been established. Participants generally endorsed a multidimensional understanding of PL rather than a narrow skills-based perspective, though this broad endorsement did not emerge from a single shared conceptual starting point. Although international definitions were widely regarded as comprehensible and relevant, contextual and regional factors, including cultural values, Indonesia's geographic diversity, and uneven infrastructure conditions across island regions, continued to influence the perceived necessity for an Indonesian expression of the concept. The qualitative findings further demonstrated that facilitators interpreted PL through Indonesian educational realities, drawing on cultural values such as gotong royong and the language of the existing physical education curriculum. Participants also identified significant barriers to development, including the absence of clear national guidance, limited dissemination and training, and uneven implementation conditions, while emphasizing curriculum integration, professional learning, infrastructure, and research-based conceptual development as key facilitating factors. The study concludes that PL in Indonesia is broadly valued and increasingly understood in multidimensional terms, yet its terminology, contextual expression, and implementation pathways remain unresolved. These findings offer an initial empirical foundation for future policy formulation, curriculum development, and teacher training concerning PL in Indonesia.