The Holmes Group Proposal and Implications for Physical Education as a “Solid” Subject Matter (and Other Related Problems)

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Abstract
The Holmes Group proposal for studying a “solid” academic subject as a basis for teaching it in the public schools, and the accompanying position of moving education courses and degrees from the undergraduate to the graduate level, may have a significant impact on physical education in higher education. The absence of a clearly articulated and accepted definition of physical education may have an impact not only on the format for preparing future physical education teachers but also on the structure of physical education in higher education. Further, having teachers who are subject matter based may also have an impact on the reassignment of faculty typically appointed to departments of physical education, the department and college name employed to describe physical education in higher education, and perhaps the restructuring of physical education in higher education in terms of subject matter, faculty expertise, professional direction, and research foci. Also discussed are the impact of the Holmes Group proposal and the change in descriptors on physical education in the public schools, as well as ramifications for institutions not joining the Holmes Group. This article stresses the need for achieving consensus within the profession as to what comprises physical education, and the body of knowledge upon which it draws.