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= Equity in Physical Education =


 * The cultural level:** The cultural level of Figueroa’s framework includes a society’s values, beliefs and attitudes, which are the product of factors that include the social group’s history, culture and ethnic background. Society’s values, beliefs and attitudes shape and inﬂuence equity in and access to sport. For example, consider the cultural attitudes to masculinity, femininity and sport. Traditionally, sport has been seen as a male domain; women have been seen as supporters or as people without interest in sport. Sports that are appropriate for men and those that are appropriate for women have been clearly differentiated. As these cultural barriers are slowly removed, women are gaining greater access and opportunities in sport. A society’s history and culture also affect sporting culture in other ways. Cultural factors can inﬂuence the type of sports that individuals within that society participate in. For example, consider the sports that are regularly watched or played in Queensland. Are they different from the sports preferred in Western Australia or somewhere further away, such as Canada? Such differences are the results of different sporting cultures.


 * The structural level:** The structural level of Figueroa’s framework includes the inﬂuence of government, business and the media. Applying this level of Figueroa’s framework to sport means investigating the relationship between the media and sports promotion, the allocation of government funding for sports programs, and how the corporate sector affects sport and sports participation through sponsorship and other funding. For example, the Australian government funds and operates several organisations—such as the Australian Sports Commission—that aim to improve sports participation, promote equity and access to sport for all Australians, and improve Australians’ sporting performance. It is the structural level that provides many insights into how funding is allocated to sport.

Schools feature prominently when discussing how people’s early attitudes towards sport are shaped. Some schools with strong sporting traditions reinforce participation in sport. The sports that students are encouraged to participate in can depend on the school’s history and traditions, the facilities and equipment available, and the expertise of the teachers. The institutional level is not just about the inﬂuence of schools; it also looks at the availability of facilities and the structure of organised sport within a community. The rules of different sports are also considered as part of an analysis of the institutional level. Sporting rules, which are determined and standardized by sports’ governing organisations, can restrict access to certain groups and individuals.
 * The institutional level:** The institutional level of Figueroa’s framework level examines the institutions within society that affect sport and physical activity. Institutions such as schools, community groups, sporting clubs, and religious groups are able to help shape positive attitudes to sport and physical activity. Cultural beliefs affect attitudes to sport and the types of sports we play. 8013 RUS_QSPE_3pp.indb 300 28/09/10 9:43 AMChapter 8—Figueroa’s framework: An introduction to sociology ///// 301

Which three people have had the greatest influence on your sports participation?
 * The interpersonal level:** The interpersonal level of Figueroa's framework is used to investigate the relationships that affect whether an individual will develop a lifelong association with sport. Most of us are inﬂuenced, directly or indirectly, by the people around us. Whose role is the most crucial? Parents? Peers? Siblings? Teachers? Coaches? Sporting role models?


 * The individual level:** The individual level of Figueroa’s framework examines why individuals choose to participate in physical activity. The reasons vary from person to person. For many people, the word ‘exercise’ is associated with images of unpleasant, vigorous activity that just makes them dirty, sweaty and uncomfortable. Others see exercise as something they must do to improve ﬁtness or as a normal part of their daily life. For others, exercise is something that they do for enjoyment. While each of the other levels has some bearing, decisions about sport and physical activity are ultimately made by the individual. Genes, values, attitudes and personalities are speciﬁc to each individual. This is reﬂected in differences between family members.

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Sociology is the scientiﬁc study of how human society and culture are developed and organised. Sociology can be used to: • identify and understand social problems and issues associated with sport • understand sport as not just a physical performance but also as a social phenomenon, which affects people’s feelings, thoughts and lives. • learn about sport, to help individuals make informed choices • think about how to challenge the ways in which sport disadvantages some people and offers privileges to other
 * Sociology and sport **

Activity:
 * //Design a Positive and Negative Table including the positives and negatives of a particular sport in your local community.//**

Below is an example of Equity in Basketball at Pittsworth. - weekly write up in news papers || Greenbees, Sinisters, Datsuns, Roadrunners Girls and boys || Skills don’t really have much opportunity to improve when playing same 3 teams over the season || Up to $90 ||
 * Basketball  ||
 * Positives  ||   Negatives   ||
 * Sponsors
 * S and k drilling
 * T j welding
 * Rosewes autos
 * Imeson transport
 * Moores trailers
 * Wheatsheaf bakery
 * Rusty’s bar and gar
 * Pittsworth sellers
 * Mitre 10
 * Oberhardt transport
 * Raffs farm supplies || Facilities are in need of an upgrade (eg. Backboards) ||
 * Development days open to beginners – concentrating on youngies || Public aren’t behind basketball very much ||
 * Dedicated organisers working on improving club || To achieve more than playing the club comp, players have to go out of their own way to compete at higher level. (Toowoomba) ||
 * Club is striving to attract more players – which means more improvements || Participation numbers in the club have dropped the past few years ||
 * All ages play ( 16 teams)
 * Under 10’s mixed
 * Under 16 boys
 * Under 18 girls
 * Women’s
 * Men’s || When turn 10 years old thrown into higher ages right away ||
 * Don’t have to travel to play only at the local pavilion each week || Have minimal promotion
 * 4 team competition
 * During the week – Monday, Tuesdays, Thursdays || Registration fees
 * Training days on Fridays if players interested (but not really) || Don’t train, just show up and play ||
 * || Nothing available to spectators – broken drink machine ||