Professor David Kirk
Strathclyde Institute of Education
Personal statement
I am currently Professor of Education and former Head of the School of Education (2014-17) at the University of Strathclyde. I am an educational researcher with teaching and research interests in educational innovation, curriculum history, and physical education and sport pedagogy. I am founding editor of the peer reviewed journal Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy (Routledge) and editor of Routledge Studies in Physical Education and Youth Sport. I have held academic appointments previously in universities in England, Australia, Ireland and Belgium and am currently Honorary Professor of Human Movement Studies at the University of Queensland. My most recent single-authored book Precarity, Critical Pedagogy and Physical Education was published by Routledge in 2020. My most recent co-authored book with Professor Ash Casey, Applying Models-based Practice in Physical Education, was published by Routledge in 2024.
Prize And Awards
- 13th EW Barker Professor of Physical Education and Sport Science
- Recipient
- 6/10/2025
- Best Paper Award by the American Educational Research Association Special Interest Group in Research on Instruction and Learning in Physical Education 2017
- Recipient
- 27/4/2017
- Fritz Duras Memorial Lecture
- Recipient
- 22/11/2013
- International Fellow
- Recipient
- 1/9/2012
- Fellow
- Recipient
- 1/7/2010
- Fellow
- Recipient
- 1/7/2005
Publications
- ‘You must feel it. If you do karate without feeling it, it’s empty: It doesn’t work’ : Aesthetic experience as motivation for women athletes
- Turelli Fabiana, Vaz Alexandre F, Kirk David
- International Review for the Sociology of Sport, pp. 1-14 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1177/10126902261430118
- Physical education and health curriculum reform in China : empowering physical educators through professional learning
- Yang Jing, Qiu Chao, Landi Dillon, Kirk David
- Sport, Education and Society Vol 31, pp. 358-372 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2025.2505029
- Fight!? : Empowering women through martial arts and combat sports
- Turelli Fabiana, Kirk David
- Martial Arts Studies Vol 19, pp. 68-78 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.18573/mas.283
- 'Suddenly they are crying. Damm! What is this?' – conflicting martial gendered embodiment for women karate athletes
- Turelli Fabiana, Fernandez Vaz Alexandre, Kirk David
- Sport, Education and Society, pp. 1-13 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2026.2618752
- From policy ambition to classroom practice : health education in China’s physical education and health curriculum reform
- Yang Jing, Qiu Chao, Du Xiaoxin, Landi Dillon, Kirk David
- Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy , pp. 1-20 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2026.2615649
- deportigualízate : enacting critical intersectional feminist pedagogy in Spanish PESTE
- Castro-García Marina, Landi Dillon, Kirk David
- Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy Vol 31, pp. 112-126 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2023.2284927
Teaching
- Physical education and sport pedagogy
- Curriculum change, including curriculum history
- Curriculum design
Research Interests
Professor Kirk has research interests in curriculum innovation and change, curriculum history, and physical education and sport pedagogy.
Professional Activities
- L’utilisation des méthodes mixtes dans un paradigme socio-constructiviste de recherche en éducation physique et pédagogie du sport
- Speaker
- 25/2/2020
- Promouvoir une éducation physique de qualité en intégrant la théorie de l'activité: inviter l'élève à devenir agent de son apprentissage au 21 ème siècle
- Contributor
- 25/2/2020
- SERA Network - Health and Wellbeing Research in Education (External organisation)
- Member
- 2018
- Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy (Journal)
- Editor
- 1/7/2004
Projects
- Literacies for Health and Life Skills
- Kirk, David (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2020 - 31-Jan-2023
- Literacies for Health and Life Skills
- Kirk, David (Principal Investigator)
- 01-Jan-2020 - 31-Jan-2023
- Female Sports Fandom in the North East: A Historical study of Female Fandom & the Critical Intersections Between Sports Spectatorship and Participation (Mentor for Stacey Pope)
- Kirk, David (Principal Investigator)
- Female Sports Fandom in the North East: A Historical study of Female Fandom & the Critical Intersections Between Sports Spectatorship and Participation (Mentor for Stacey Pope)
- 31-Jan-2016 - 28-Jan-2021
- Collaboration Agreement with University of York
- Kirk, David (Principal Investigator)
- 01-Jan-2016 - 31-Jan-2020
- Autism Network Scotland - Scottish Strategy for Scotland administration of National Governance Group, consultation forum and sub group activity and coordination activity
- Christie, Donald (Co-investigator) Hanley, Emma Mairi (Co-investigator) Kirk, David (Co-investigator)
- 15-Jan-2014 - 31-Jan-2021
Contact
Professor
David
Kirk
Strathclyde Institute of Education
Email: david.kirk@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 444 8038