Planting Seeds or Sharing Authority? A Freirean Analysis of Adapted Physical Activity Pedagogy in Brazil and the United States

The purpose of this study was to examine, through a Freirean lens, how faculty in Brazil and the United States described active, reflective, and experiential pedagogies in introductory adapted physical activity/adapted physical education courses. Using an interpretive qualitative design, we analyzed semi-structured interviews with five Brazil-based and five U.S.-based faculty members through reflexive thematic analysis. Three themes were constructed: a spectrum between banking and problem-posing education; student reflection within teacher-bounded practices; and planting seeds as hope for transformation. Faculty expertise often scaffolded learning but remained central in organizing knowledge and reflection. Active approaches may support engagement but do not automatically redistribute pedagogical authority or constitute dialogical praxis.