PhD Developing Physical Literacy through Sport

This PhD explores organised sport as a key setting for developing physical literacy in children and adolescents.

This PhD project aims to advance understanding of how organised sport can more deliberately and effectively support the development of physical literacy in children and adolescents, with a particular emphasis on enhancing the capability of sports coaches and sporting providers, including community clubs and schools. While sport is widely recognised as a powerful context for youth development, many programs remain structured around narrow participation or performance outcomes. This project positions physical literacy, and the integrated development of physical, psychological, social, and cognitive capabilities, as a central organising principle for quality sport experiences and lifelong engagement in sport.

Grounded in the Australian Physical Literacy Framework and aligned with the strategic priorities of the Physical Literacy Coalition, the project responds directly to national calls to embed physical literacy consistently across systems, settings, and the workforce. In particular, the study will investigate how coaches, sports organisations and providers can be better supported to understand, enact, and sustain physical literacy–focused practices in diverse sport and education contexts.

Using a mixed-methods, co-design research approach, the study will be undertaken in three interconnected phases. First, the project will examine current understandings, beliefs, and delivery practices related to physical literacy among coaches, teachers, and sport administrators working with children and adolescents. Surveys, interviews, and observational methods will be used to identify how physical literacy is conceptualised, the extent to which it is intentionally targeted, and the perceived enablers and constraints within different organisational and cultural settings.

Second, drawing on these findings, the project will work collaboratively with coaches, sporting organisations, and schools to co-design practical strategies and supports that enhance physical literacy–aligned practice. These may include coaching prompts, planning tools, professional learning modules, and adaptable program design principles that assist providers to intentionally address holistic outcomes across physical, psychological, social, and cognitive domains.

Finally, the project will pilot and evaluate the implementation of these supports within real-world sport programs. Evaluation will focus on feasibility, acceptability, changes in coaching practice, and perceived impacts on children’s physical literacy experiences. Validated physical literacy measures will also be used to inform understanding of children’s perceived development over time.

The project is expected to generate applied, practice-relevant evidence to inform coach education, sport program design, and organisational policy. By bridging research, workforce development, and system-level priorities, this PhD will contribute to national efforts to ensure sport environments consistently support the foundations, confidence, and motivation required for children and adolescents to be active for life.

Note: The details of the project may be refined to suit the candidate’s interest and skills. Candidate must be able to commence 01/06/2026.

Funding: Funding: $38,938 per annum (2026 rate) indexed annually. For a PhD candidate, the living allowance scholarship and tuition fee scholarship are for 3.5 years. Scholarships also include up to $1,500 relocation.

Supervisor: Professor Narelle Eather

Available to: Domestic students

PhD

Experience in sports coaching, sports participation, coach education, physical literacy, physical education or sport-related field is required. The applicant will need to meet the minimum eligibility criteria  for admission.

Interested applicants should send an email expressing their interest along with scanned copies of their academic transcripts, CV, a brief statement of their research interests and a proposal that specifically links them to the research project.

Please send the email expressing interest to Narelle.eather@newcastle.edu.au by 5pm on 30 April 2026.

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