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FrancoAngeli Journals

Articles/Articoli

Vol. 17 No. 1 (2026): Educating for Complexity: Intersectionality, Decolonial Approaches to Teaching, and Practices of Care in Education

Embodied vulnerability as a formative resource: Body, emotions, and professional identity in Physical Education initial teacher education

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3280/ess1-2026oa22550
Submitted
aprile 15, 2026
Published
2026-07-28

Abstract

This conceptual paper advances the concept of embodied vulnerability to interpret a specific form of professional exposure emerging in Physical Education Teacher Education. By bringing together structural vulnerability, Occupational Socialisation Theory, and body pedagogics, the paper argues that the transition from sport-based competence to pedagogical responsibility may produce a distinctive form of biographical disruption. Such disruption is not exclusive to Physical Education: teachers across subjects must transform disciplinary identity into didactic mediation. The specificity of Physical Education lies in the fact that the body functions simultaneously as teaching medium, curricular object, and tacit criterion of professional legitimacy. The article therefore clarifies the corporeal device, normative expectations surrounding the athletic teacher, and defensive strategies through which pre-service teachers protect professional credibility. It also specifies the conceptual boundaries of embodied vulnerability by distinguishing it from emotional vulnerability, professional insecurity, and corporeal capital. Embodied vulnerability is finally discussed as a formative resource, provided that it is supported by reflective spaces, mentoring, and practices grounded in care, inclusion, and pedagogical responsibility.

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