Research Information System
World Physical Education Alliance (WPEA) 2025 Conference, Cairo, Egypt, 4 - 08 November 2025, (Unpublished)
From
Survival Instincts to Physical Literacy: The Acculturation of Movement as the
Backbone of Physical Education: From
the World to Turkey
The purpose of this paper is to explain the acculturation of the movement as the backbone of physical education, from survival instincts to physical literacy, and to provide concrete examples, using the case of Turkey. Early humans used movement for hunting, gathering, migration, and survival. Over time, the movement has become cultured. Thus, games, physical education, exercise, and sports appeared. Physical skills such as running, climbing, throwing, and swimming were deep cultural practices that were passed down from one generation to the next. In ancient Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome, the movement gained cultural and educational value. In ancient Greece, paideia explicitly linked physical education with philosophy and social life, thereby integrating physical education into cultural identity. In medieval Europe, the movement was primarily associated with chivalry, farming, and handicrafts. Dancing, folk dances, and spear fighting continued to exist as cultural traditions. Renaissance humanism revived physical education. With the advent of the Age of Enlightenment and Industrialization, physical education became a systematic discipline. Swedish gymnastics emphasized posture, discipline, and health. The German Turnen current framed physical education as an instrument of national identity and discipline. Military exercises and gymnastics became widespread, embedding the movement in the culture of state-building and citizenship. 20. During the century, physical education entered school curricula around the world and shifted towards more comprehensive goals such as health, play, and socialization. In parallel with these developments in the West, the concept of "physical culture" emerged with the establishment of the Soviet Union. Following the Soviet Union, the 21st. In the mid-century, the People's Republic of China also adopted the concept of physical culture. 21. Towards the end of the century, physical literacy and global perspectives developed. Over time, various cultural movements, including yoga, martial arts, traditional games, and dance forms, were integrated into the programs, demonstrating that physical education is an area of intercultural dialogue. Today, it represents the "cultural capital of the movement", where physical education, sports, art, health, and education come together decently. In short, physical education has evolved from a survival-based education into a complex and culturally rich educational practice that not only teaches movement but also conveys values, identity, and holistic health across generations. Turkey, 20. During the century, he was influenced by the German and Swedish physical education movements. With the establishment of the Turkish Republic, physical education became a regular course taught in schools. Over the last 20 years, global trends have been closely followed.