Strokes and counterstrokes: Transforming the Physical Education swimming curriculum at a South African higher education institution

Abstract

Curriculum transformation in higher education institutions is constantly facing new challenges, especially regarding swimming as a discipline in the Physical Education (PE) curriculum. The fatal burden of drowning in South Africa makes it the second leading cause of death due to unintentional injury. This information is a reminder that continuous swimming for education creates an understanding of the sense and values resulting from swimming and swimming safety competency based on gaining knowledge and skills. To deal with former inequalities and misconceptions about swimming, it is time to provide opportunities (strokes) and face the challenges (counterstrokes). Counterstrokes experienced by curriculum developers in the tertiary sector should not be the motivation for excluding swimming from a PE curriculum. This interpretative phenomenological analysis aims to understand higher education's physical and social environment, where the lecturers train pre-service PE teachers. The researcher drew on the lived experiences of three South African lecturers over different periods and through several stages of the transformation of the school and tertiary education curricula. Competency in swimming safety became an integral part of comprehensive education. It adopted the role of a culture-forming factor in both the pedagogical and the teacher-professional (pedeutological) dimensions. With clear legislation for swimming for education, higher education institutions and schools can promote national swimming competency and water safety awareness. Swimming at higher educational institutions is continuously being transformed. Lecturers should continually be responsive as a community of practice to include all the students who enrol and teach swimming for education rather than swimming for performance.