Rethinking Movement: DFG Research Program at the Assistant Professorship of Educational Science in Sport and Health

How can people be supported in staying physically active throughout their lives? With this guiding question, the Assistant Professorship of Educational Science in Sport and Health at the Technical University of Munich welcomes Dr. Johannes Carl, who is bringing an independently developed five-year research program to TUM as part of the Heisenberg Program of the German Research Foundation (DFG). The funding includes a position as a junior research group leader as well as an additional DFG grant and is associated with the status of TUM Junior Fellow with the right to supervise doctoral candidates. Previously, the sports scientist worked at Deakin University in Melbourne.

“Since Dr. Johannes Carl and I have already collaborated on several publications, I am now very pleased that we can further intensify this cooperation here at our Department of Health and Sport Sciences. Especially as the focus on physical activity–related health literacy among adolescents and its promotion is one of the core areas of our professorship. Thanks to the expertise of Johannes Carl and his international network, we will be able to significantly expand this research focus in the future,” explains Prof. Dr. Filip Mess, Head of the Assistant Professorship of Educational Science in Sport and Health.

With his research program, Dr. Carl addresses the central question of which individual prerequisites people need in order to remain physically active throughout their lives. He takes a holistic approach that considers not only individual factors but also structural conditions within education, sport, and healthcare systems, as well as political frameworks.

“Physical activity has diverse effects on physical, mental, and social health. Nevertheless, as a society, we are not yet fully exploiting this potential,” explains Carl. “Our goal is to better understand which competencies people need to stay active in the long term and how systems must be designed to support this.”

A Global Framework for Action to Promote Physical Activity

A key component of his previous work is the development of the “Global Physical Literacy Action Framework,” which Carl has led over the past two years in collaboration with international partners. The concept of physical literacy describes the ability to move competently, confidently, and with motivation in a wide range of movement contexts. It encompasses physical, cognitive, psychological, and social dimensions.

The global framework responds to the fact that existing physical activity programs and educational approaches often fail to adequately account for this complexity. The aim was to create a shared orientation framework that can guide education, sport, and health systems worldwide.

The framework is supported by 21 leading international organizations in the field of physical activity and health—including UNESCO Chairs, AIESEP, ISPAH, and ISBNPA. “We need a common language to think about movement in a holistic way—also across national borders,” says Carl. “At the same time, the framework must be flexible enough to accommodate different cultural and structural conditions.”

Monitoring and International Networking

Over the next five years, Carl’s research will focus on implementing this global framework. One of the planned initiatives is the development of a “Global Physical Literacy Monitoring” system, which will examine how different countries integrate the recommendations into their systems and what effects result from this. One reason for choosing TUM is the strong potential for synergy within the TUM School of Medicine and Health, for example in the areas of public health (Prof. Dr. Michael Laxy), health literacy (Prof. Dr. Orkan Okan), and secondary data analysis (Prof. Dr. Alexander Hapfelmeier).

Key societal sectors such as schools, organized sport, and healthcare will be systematically analyzed and compared. The goal is to derive evidence-based recommendations for action and, in the long term, to encourage more people to engage in physical activity.

At the same time, Carl is taking on a leading role in establishing the “Physical Literacy” working group within the European WHO network HEPA Europe.

“Even small changes in large systems can have enormous effects,” emphasizes Dr. Carl. “If we succeed in even slightly improving the conditions for physical activity, this can generate substantial societal value, as it allows us to reach many people.”

International Data Sets and New Research Projects

In addition to global monitoring, Carl is developing further research projects. One focus is the integration of international data sets on physical literacy among children aged four to twelve.

Data collected worldwide on motor, cognitive, motivational, and social competencies will be combined and analyzed comparatively. For the first time, this will provide a comprehensive overview of how these competencies are distributed across different countries and how they relate to actual physical activity and health.

The findings are intended to help identify targeted starting points for future physical activity programs—for example, by revealing which competencies have been neglected so far and should be strengthened.

Promoting Health Across the Lifespan

A central concern of Dr. Carl’s research is to promote physical activity not only in childhood but across the entire lifespan. Current trends show that many people drop out of organized sport during adolescence, and their level of physical activity often remains low later in life.

The holistic approach of physical literacy aims to counteract this trend by placing greater emphasis on motivation, individual experiences, and the social aspects of movement. “It’s not just about promoting athletic performance,” says Carl. “Rather, we need to create conditions that motivate and enable as many people as possible to stay active throughout their lives.”

The Heisenberg Program is aimed at highly qualified researchers who already meet the requirements for a tenured professorship. It enables them to continue their research at an institution of their choice, expand their academic reputation, and prepare specifically for a leadership role in academia.

Homepage of the Assistant Professorship of Educational Science in Sport and Health
Project homepage: “Global Physical Literacy Action Frameworks”

Contact

Prof. Dr. Filip Mess
Assistant Professorship of Educational Science in Sport and Health
Am Olympiacampus 11
80809 Munich
Tel.: +49 89 289 24520
Email: filip.mess(at)tum.de

Dr. Johannes Carl
Assistant Professorship of Educational Science in Sport and Health
Am Olympiacampus 11
80809 Munich
Tel.: +49 89 289 24974
Email: johannes.carl(at)tum.de

Text: Bastian Daneyko
Photos: Private