Epistemological propositions for the Brazilian field of physical education: historical-conceptual aspects and implications for pedagogical practice

In recent decades, epistemological debates in Physical Education have intensified, particularly in Brazil, exposing persistent questions concerning the academic identity of the field. Although numerous epistemological propositions have sought to define its object of study, scientific foundations, and pedagogical orientation, these traditions have generally been examined in isolation, making it difficult to achieve a systematic understanding of their conceptual relationships. This essay aims to map, systematize, and provide a integrated understanding of the principal epistemological traditions that have shaped the Brazilian field of Physical Education through a comparative historical-conceptual framework. A theoretical-bibliographic approach was adopted. The corpus was selected according to criteria of epistemological relevance, historical representativeness, academic recognition, and diversity of perspectives. Five major traditions were examined: the empirical-analytical, psychokinetic, humanist (including both moderate-critical and critical-dialectical strands), post-critical, and systemic-developmentalist traditions. The analysis revealed substantial differences regarding the nature, object of study, scientific foundations, and pedagogical implications of Physical Education, while also identifying important points of convergence and theoretical tension among these traditions. Rather than proposing the superiority of a single epistemological perspective, the study demonstrates how a comparative historical-conceptual analysis contributes to a synthetic understanding of the field by systematically organizing its principal epistemological propositions. The resulting analytical framework offers a basis for strengthening epistemological reflection, supporting curriculum development, teacher education, and future theoretical investigations concerning the academic identity of Physical Education.