Researchers Say Dodgeball Is "Oppressive" And "Dehumanizes" Others

Dodgeball has been a big part of physical education classes for decades, but a group of professors believes the game is having a very negative impact on children.

They say the game teaches students to "dehumanize" and harm their peers, according to professors from three Canadian universities in a presentation at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences in Vancouver last week. Here is what they found in the study that was conducted:

'When you're setting up the environment for students to learn, and you introduce the idea that it's okay to slam the ball at whomever you like, even if it's with a soft ball, the intention is there,' Joy Butler, a professor who studies pedagogy and curriculum development said to the Washington Post.
'When students think it's okay because they're being told it's okay to do that, what do they learn? People say dodgeball is being used as an outlet for aggression or catharsis. I suspect that this is where they're learning that. 
'Phys-ed should be an arena where teachers are helping students control their aggression and move on instead of expressing themselves through anger.'

A paper is getting set to be published by the group of professors in the European Physical Education Review.

Photo: Getty Images


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