by Marie Öhman & Ali Jamshidpey
Vol. 17 2026, pages 149–169
Published September 8, 2026
https://doi.org/10.24834/sssf.17.7
Abstract
From Uncertainty to Participation: The Role of Swimming Education for Newly Arrived Women and Their Children
This study examines newly arrived migrant women’s experiences of participating in swimming instruction and its potential significance for their own lives and their children’s opportunities to develop swimming skills. Based on a qualitative design, the study draws on interviews conducted before, during, and after a structured swimming program. A thematic analysis, informed by a Foucauldian perspective, conceptualizes swimming instruction as a socially and culturally situated practice.
The findings show that participation is shaped by cultural, religious, and social norms related to gender, body and language. While these factors may act as barriers, they can be negotiated through culturally responsive learning environments, such as women-only settings and supportive social contexts. The women emerge as active agents who navigate and challenge these constraints.
Participation contributes to increased self-confidence, new forms of bodily engagement and expanded opportunities for social participation. It also influences the women’s roles as mothers, enabling them to engage more actively in their children’s water-related activities. The study highlights the importance of culturally adapted interventions in promoting inclusion and participation in physical activity.
Access full text pdf (17:7)About the Authors
MARIE ÖHMAN is a Professor Emerita of Sport Sciences at Örebro University. She has been active in physical education teacher education for many years. Öhman defended her PhD in sociology with the thesis Body and Power in Motion. Her research has mainly concerned Physical Education and Health, the work of PE teachers and issues of body, power and physical touch. She has published a large number of scientific articles and book chapters nationally and internationally.
ALI JAMSHIDPEY is a Physical Education and Health teacher with 27 years of experience in developing teaching – as a teacher, senior teacher and development leader, and in practical research. In 2020, he was named PE Teacher of the Year. His long-term focus is to develop differentiated, knowledge-based and meaningful teaching for all students. In the meeting between research and school practice, he investigates how teaching can be further developed and contribute to student learning.