Responding to diversity in physical education An analysis of the Finnish national curriculum

The discourses of inclusion are currently dominating the educational and subject-specific discussion in Germany and many other countries. However, international perspectives and research activities are hardly visible in the context of inclusive physical education in German-speaking countries. Therefore, this article draws attention to the Finnish school system and analyses to what extent diversity issues are addressed in the current national curriculum of physical education (PE). The analysis of the documents focuses on how the PE curriculum is responding to student diversity in general, and specifically, considers three dimensions of diversity: Gender, interculturality, and special educational needs. Taking the Finnish perspective into account seems promising because Finland has created educational structures that prevent exclusion, and the analysis of the curricular guidelines could help to contribute to the research gap in the subject-didactic traditions of the German-speaking scientific community. The analysis shows that diversity issues are addressed intensively in the general guidelines of the curriculum, however, little information is provided in the PE curricula that informs and structures (inclusive) teaching on a practical level. Further research is needed to systematically examine current inclusive approaches from an international or comparative perspective taking country-specific conditions into account to establish a stronger link to international discourses.