Top physical education researcher wins Creative Research and Scholarship Award

For many school-aged children, physical education is the most fun part of the day. It’s a time to stretch, expend energy, play games, and enjoy time outside. For Peter Hastie, physical education instruction has embodied his career as a researcher, and he’s world-renowned for his expertise on the subject.

Hastie, a Wayne T. Smith Distinguished Professor in Auburn University’s School of Kinesiology, is a 2024 recipient of the Creative Research and Scholarship Award.

“I have committed my life’s work to researching physical education in young people, including how to motivate them to enjoy physical education and how to engage physical education teachers with best practices,” Hastie said. “It is an honor to receive this award from Auburn University because it shows their commitment to supporting faculty members who are conducting meaningful research.”

Hastie knows PE is not all fun and games. There is a science to getting students interested in participating and maintaining that motivation — and that’s why his research has been cited globally. With 224 peer-reviewed papers published in academic journals, Hastie was named the No. 1 physical education scientist in the United States in Stanford University’s “World’s Top 2% Scientists” list. He is ranked No. 4 worldwide on the same list.

“Dr. Hastie is a world-renowned scholar in the area of sport education, an innovative approach to teaching physical education. He has presented around the world and is viewed as the leading active physical education – teacher educator in this area of study,” said Mary Rudisill, director of the School of Kinesiology.

Rudisill said Hastie’s most notable contributions to the field of practice are 10 published textbooks that have been used extensively by other scholars.

“The elementary education physical education book he has written is the second most selling (in that area), and the Sport Education book he has written is a leading text for use in all levels of physical education. This text, now in its third edition, is a compilation of research and practice over a 10-year span,” she said.

Hastie was one of four Kinesiology faculty members who teamed up to create state-of-the-art online texts for all physical education courses on Auburn’s campus. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hastie and the authors expanded one of the online courses into the ActiveU course that is now being adopted by other institutions across the nation, benefitting tens of thousands of students. 

Hastie also recently completed an innovative ActiveMe online physical education curriculum guide, available in English and Spanish, which is in the testing process prior to being sent to market for global sales.

“The impact of his work in far reaching and quite meaningful,” Rudisill said. “He and his students have spent endless hours designing model intramural and physical education programs for local schools. With respect to international practice, Dr. Hastie introduced the sport education curriculum model to schools in Saudi Arabia, Russia, Spain, Ireland, Portugal and China and conducted extensive research on the model and teacher development.”

The findings from that research have resulted in publications in Russian, European, Chinese, and Central and North American journals. Hastie has delivered keynote speeches worldwide, in Australia (twice), France, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Korea, Spain, Turkey and the United States.

“Dr. Hastie’s research and approach to physical education has impacted countless children across the globe,” said Jeffrey Fairbrother, dean and Wayne T. Smith Distinguished Professor of Auburn's College of Education. “We congratulate him on receiving this honor that recognizes the body of work he has contributed to his field.” 

Perhaps Hastie’s most outstanding accomplishment in recent years is his induction into the National Academy of Kinesiology — there are a limited number of members from all fields within kinesiology, and members consist of the top leaders in the field. His induction as a physical education – teacher education member demonstrates that his colleagues in teacher education value his contributions to the field, in addition to elite kinesiology scholars acknowledging his accomplishments and contributions as meritorious.

“His work is critically important, and he is dedicated to effectively teaching children the value of physical activity and play and the skills to engage for a lifetime,” Rudisill said. “I can think of nothing more important than the health and wellbeing of our children and our society.”