Teachers’ discourses of health in Spanish physical education: the emergence of a dominant discourse

Physical education in Spain is shaped by discourses that influence teachers’ beliefs, practices and understandings of the subject’s purpose. This study explored how physical education teachers define the purpose of physical education and how health emerged, was prioritised and was justified within their accounts. A qualitative design was employed using a web-based survey completed by 52 teachers in Spain, including primary and secondary teachers from urban and rural contexts. Analysis showed that health was the dominant discourse through which the subject was justified. Although some teachers referred to health in broad terms, their accounts were mainly organised around a biomedical and pathogenic logic centred on obesity prevention, sedentary behaviour, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and the promotion of healthy habits. The findings also highlighted an emphasis on transferring these health aims beyond the classroom and into students’ everyday lives. Overall, the study suggests that Spanish physical education teachers predominantly justify the subject through a narrow discourse of health, increasingly aligned with regulation, prevention and public health priorities rather than with its distinctive educational contribution. In doing so, the study helps explain how health-related discourses may shape what is prioritised in physical education and the kinds of experiences made available to young people.