Exploring the Relationship Between Representation in the Curricula and Students’ Engagement

Creating representative curricula that engage students from underrepresented backgrounds can be challenging. This problem is pertinent in sporting disciplines, where a patriarchal cultural legacy and epistemological homogeneity influence curriculum design. As a qualitatively underexamined area, this study explores the relationship between representation in the curricula and student engagement. Interviews were conducted with thirty-four students studying sport management-related disciplines at an English higher education institution. Underpinning theories included Jester’s conceptualisation of representation (descriptive, substantive and symbolic) in the curricula and the four dimensions (behavioural, affective, cognitive and social) of student engagement. The findings informed a conceptual model of the relationship between representation in the curricula and the interconnected dimensions of engagement. Confirming the idiosyncratic nature of student experiences, representation in the curricula stimulated different engagement dimensions among specific (albeit not every member of) student groups. Through the sporting context, the study provided novel insights into strategies that may foster privileged students’ engagement with representative curricula, helping to mitigate typical avoidance or defensiveness when their social identities are implicated in discussions of privilege.