Audiovisual Media as a Pedagogical Tool in Physical Education: Gymnastics, Gender, and Race through Simone Biles

Abstract

Gymnastics, as a content area of Physical Education, has historically been shaped by gender and race stereotypes that produce bodily hierarchies and limit educational experiences in the school context. In the contemporary scenario, audiovisual media emerges as a powerful pedagogical device, capable of challenging naturalized discourses and expanding the possibilities for a critical approach to bodily practices. In this regard, this study problematizes how audiovisual narratives about high-performance gymnastics can contribute to reflections on gender and race in school Physical Education. The objective was to analyze the pedagogical potential of the documentary series Simone Biles: The Return for the teaching of gymnastics, from a critical and intersectional perspective. The theoretical framework is grounded in Cultural Physical Education studies, cultural pedagogies, and theoretical contributions on gender, race, and intersectionality. Methodologically, the research adopts a qualitative approach, using screen ethnography as a strategy for analyzing audiovisual material, understood as a cultural text that produces meanings. The analysis revealed that the series challenges hegemonic discourses by exposing the pressures imposed on female and Black bodies, as well as by addressing mental health in sports. It is concluded that audiovisual media, when critically mediated, constitutes a powerful tool for the development of more inclusive, reflective, and socially just pedagogical practices in school Physical Education.