Dr. Jamie Brunsdon, assistant professor in the University of Memphis College of Health Sciences, has received the 2026 Exemplary Paper of the Year Award on behalf of the Research on Learning and Instruction in Physical Education (SIG 93) of the American Education Research Association (AERA).
Created during the early 2000s, this prestigious honor recognizes outstanding achievement in research by faculty in fields related to physical education and sport pedagogy with a focus on curriculum, instruction and teacher education.
Out of many peer-reviewed manuscripts, Brunsdon’s paper, “Human Flourishing as the Aim of Physical Education?,” which was published in Quest in 2025, was selected for its significant contribution to the field after receiving the top overall scores during a rigorous peer-review process conducted by academic experts.
“What this award means to me is this field is ready to embark on a new journey toward humanizing the profession in more ways than one and in more ways than we’ve previously envisioned. And so, it gives me hope for the field and I’m incredibly grateful for having the support and the mentorship from so many people that have allowed me to put forward such a perspective about the field,” Brunsdon said.
Brunsdon’s paper emphasizes that physical education is more than just about the physical. It’s also encompassing the moral, mental and social aspects of one’s well-being and doing whatever people can to transform the lives of young people through movement and physical activity. “The subject of Physical Education has tremendous potential for positive good, and it plays such an instrumental role within young people’s development,” he said.
However, his research shows that not all schools prioritize physical education. The profession is not always structured in a way that is accessible, engaging or complimentary of young people’s development.
In his paper, he states, “The point here is that if ‘valuing a physically active life’ is the current aim of physical education then it would appear that we can’t exclusively focus on promoting children’s physical competence, confidence, motivation and knowledge and understanding (of movement). This is because there are a plethora of factors located outside of these features that impact one’s physical relationship with movement as well as how and why they physically, cognitively and temporally utilize this practice in their everyday life.”
Brunsdon hopes that through his paper and the work he’s doing with local schools including University Schools and Compass Community Schools that an alternative vision for the field sees growth and change.
Brunsdon joined the UofM in 2021 as assistant professor. Originally from the United Kingdom he earned his bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy from the Manchester Metropolitan University, a Postgraduate Certificate of Education in Secondary Education from the University of Southampton, and then moved to the United States to complete his doctorate in Human Performance (Sport Pedagogy) at the University of Alabama.
His move to Memphis, Tenn., was motivated to ensure his work is grounded in schools and firmly working with young people from different walks of life. “Memphis is genuine community impact,” Brunsdon said.
Brunsdon has been invited to formally accept the award and deliver an accompanying speech at the AERA Annual Meeting April 8–12 in Los Angeles, Cali, where leaders in educational research will gather to celebrate such distinguished contributions to the profession.
