STRUCTURAL-AGENTIC PERSPECTIVES ON SPORT SCIENCES CURRICULA IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18623/rvd.v23.6848Palavras-chave:
Sport Sciences Curricula, Structural-Agentic Framework, Higher Education, Curriculum Theory, Academic AgencyResumo
Sport sciences curricula in higher education constitute complex and dynamic systems, in which structural constraints and human agency interact continuously, shaping purposes, content, and learning processes. This article presents a conceptual framework for analyzing these curricula through a structural–agentic perspective, drawing on a critical synthesis of scholarship in curriculum studies, higher education, and sport pedagogy. Grounded in the morphogenetic theory of Margaret Archer, the framework conceptualizes educators, students, and institutional stakeholders as active agents who influence curriculum aims, content, pedagogy, and assessment. At the same time, it recognizes that governance arrangements, quality assurance mechanisms, digital infrastructures, and disciplinary boundaries mediate, rather than determine, curricular processes. Agency is theorized as a mechanism enabling reflexivity, professional judgment, and adaptive innovation, supporting the development of cognitive, motor, and attitudinal competencies. By integrating structural and cultural dimensions, the framework highlights both constraints and enabling conditions that shape curricular innovation and reform. It provides analytically grounded insights for institutional governance, curriculum planning, and sustainable reform initiatives. Overall, this critical and integrative review emphasizes aligning disciplinary epistemologies, institutional structures, and stakeholder agency to achieve curriculum coherence, relevance, and educational quality in sport sciences higher education contexts.
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