School swimming programmes predominantly adopt a technical-utilitarian orientation rather than an educational-curricular one (75% versus 25%)¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r? · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Twelve of sixteen reviewed school swimming programmes primarily adopted a technical-functional orientation, while four explicitly linked aquatic activities to broader curriculum aims. → Trinidad Alfonso 2026

Evidence¶

Trinidad Alfonso 2026¶

Trinidad Alfonso, Mendoza-Castejón Daniel, Mercedes de la Calle Laura, del-Blanco-Muñiz José Ángel. (2026). Analysis of swimming teaching programs, aquatic competencies and specific skills in school settings from early childhood to secondary education: A systematic review. PLOS One. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0353477

q2 · i? · review · r?

Synthesis of the 16 included studies' coded pedagogical orientations in this systematic review. The review reports that "the technical-utilitarian model prevails over the educational-curricular model (75% versus 25%)". Only 25% of studies linked aquatic activity to physical education syllabus objectives.

"analysis of the relationship between the contents and pedagogical approaches of the programmes implemented revealed that the technical-utilitarian model prevails over the educational-curricular model (75% versus 25%)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• The technical approach has remained dominant in school swimming over the last two decades, with no temporal trend toward educational approaches — related
• Evidence on school swimming instruction is scarce in secondary education, with most studies in primary and preschool stages — related
• Assessment instruments in school swimming research focus on technical execution, with few tools aligned to functional aquatic competence — related