The delegation of Universidad de La Frontera, with researchers of CIAM UFRO and students and graduates of the Physical Education, Sports and Recreation undergraduate program, participated in the International Conference, which took place at Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, in the city of Santiago de Chile this year.

The aim of the AIESEP (International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education) International Conference is to promote quality research on physical education, physical activity and the teaching of sports. This year, it took place for the first time in Latin America, under the theme “Emerging horizons: Bridging the borders between physical education research and practice”. At the important event, Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO) had an outstanding active participation, with the largest delegation among the representatives of Chile, consisting of researchers of the Physical Literacy Research Centre (CIAM) and students and graduates of the Physical Education, Sports and Recreation undergraduate program, who presented their work in different modalities.

One of the highlights of the congress was the Symposium “Physical literacy in Latin America: towards a contextualised development”, presented by CIAM UFRO. In this Symposium, the researchers Dr. Jaime Cárcamo and Dr. Catalina Rivera from UFRO (Chile), Dr. Isaac Estevan from University of Valencia (Spain) and Dr. Joao Martins from University of Lisbon (Portugal), presented their projects, research and experiences related to the development of physical literacy, and discussed the need for a contextualised implementation in Latin America.

In addition to the symposium, other members of CIAM presented their work in different areas, such as Dr. Luis Henríquez, who presented his research on initial teacher training, addressing the issue “Didactic planning during professional internships”; and Nicolás Martínez, who presented the study “Motor competence and compliance with physical activity recommendations in Chilean schoolchildren”.

In the poster presentations modality, the graduated physical education teacher Paulina Candia and the students Javiera Fuentes and Javiera Parada of the Physical Education, Sports and Recreation program of the Faculty of Education, Social Science and Humanities presented their respective work related to Motor Competence.

The participation of the delegation of UFRO in the AIESEP International Conference 2023 allowed the international dissemination of the work of CIAM UFRO, the strengthening of their international partnerships, and a broader and more diverse view of their research and ongoing projects. It also demonstrates the commitment of the research team and the excellence of their work in the field of Physical Literacy, converting the Research Centre into a national reference in this field of knowledge.

“These important participations and contributions strengthen our research and promote the development of more contextualised and effective approaches in Physical Education and the promotion of active lifestyle habits,” Dr. Jaime Cárcamo, the director of CIAM UFRO, explained.

The next AIESEP International Conference will take place on May 13-17, 2024, at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland. It will be another great opportunity for the researchers, academics and professionals in the fields of Physical Education, Motor Competence and Physical Literacy to exchange knowledge and present the progress of their work in their fields of studies.