Michelle’s Research Topic: “Physical Education (PE) as a Pathway for Gender Empowerment: Rarotonga, Cook Islands”
“Physical Education (PE) in a tropical climate presents unique challenges. My fieldwork in Rarotonga coincided with the end of the cyclone season; it was common for there to be sudden torrential downpours. School A’s field was low-lying, which meant that it sat underneath a pool of water consistently during fieldwork. The alternate venue for PE was the tennis courts, seen below. It was very hot and humid, and students struggled to run around in bare feet on the hot surface. Some students can be seen playing in jandals, which are not robust enough for PE and often broke. The PE uniform singlets that students are required to wear are practical in the heat, but they excluded some students who felt self-conscious wearing them in front of their peers. Despite these challenges, keen students persevered. Environmental challenges to delivering PE were present in varying forms at each of the schools visited.”
Michelle Greene – PhD Candidate
September, 2019
