Análisis de los estereotipos corporales y de los modelos de actividad física representados en las imágenes de los libros de texto de Educación Física.

Résumé

The aim of this dissertation is to show how the body culture and the physical activities are portrayed in physical education textbooks for secondary schools in Spain. School textbooks play a central role in the homogenising process. A substantial amount of information that is shown to the student is done so through images that filter into the collective consciousness, with no prior reflection, and this makes iconic language a very powerful medium for the reproduction of stereotypes. A content analysis was carried out through the elaboration of an ad hoc coding scheme. The development of the coding scheme followed: two trial tests, two consultations with experts, and triangulation with three observers. Also, an experience of an image-perception text with secondary students was carried out. The objective was to identify what students focus on when they see images in physical education coursebooks. The sample was composed of 3,316 images published by 10 publishing houses. Univariate and bivariate descriptive analyses were also carried out. The Pearson chi-square statistic was used to identify associations between the variables. The findings showed a clear inequality between the presence of male and female figures and a difference in the physical activities assigned to men and women. What little depiction there was of different racial groups was biased. Competitive sports received preferential treatment, and adapted physical activities hardly appeared at all.