Valeria Varea
Title: Associate Senior Lecturer School/office: School of Health SciencesEmail: valeria.varea@oru.se
Phone: +46 19 301238
Room: G2152
Research subject
About Valeria Varea
Valeria Varea is an Associate Professor in Sport Science. She has completed her PhD at the School of Human Movement Studies at the University of Queensland, Australia. She was then appointed as a lecturer in Health and Physical Education at the University of New England, Australia. In 2019, she came to Sweden to work at the School of Health Sciences at Örebro University, Sweden.
Research
Valeria’s research focusses on the body, health and physical activity in Physical Education and sport contexts. Dr Varea uses sociocultural perspectives and qualitative methods to explore and critique people’s engagement in physical activity and perceptions of the body.
Teaching
Valeria has trained as a Health and Physical Education teacher and has considerable teaching experience in the tertiary level, particularly in Physical Education Teacher Education. She has continuously taught at university level for almost twenty years and has experience in teaching at school and sport coaching contexts. Valeria has taught to students from a wide variety of ages, skills and socio-economic backgrounds.
Networks and collaborations
Dr Varea has worked in collaboration with many academics across different countries, including Spain, Australia, UK, Argentina and Brazil. She also has wide experience in managing funded and collaborative research projects and development initiatives. Valeria has been a member of numerous committees and has contributed in service to the community, particularly in charity initiatives, promoting health and diversity, and working with local schools.
Research projects
Active projects
Research teams
Publications
Articles in journals |
Articles, book reviews |
Articles, reviews/surveys |
Books |
Chapters in books |
Collections (editor) |
Conference papers |
Doctoral theses, monographs |
Licentiate theses, monographs |
Articles in journals
- Varea, V. & Öhman, M. (2022). ‘Break the rules or quit the job’: physical education teachers’ experiences of physical contact in their teaching practice. Sport, Education and Society.
- González-Calvo, G. , Varea, V. & García-Monge, A. (2022). Children’s Experiences of Lockdown and Social Distancing in the Covid-19 Pandemic. Journal of Family Issues.
- Varea, V. , González-Calvo, G. & García-Monge, A. (2022). Exploring the changes of physical education in the age of Covid-19. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 27 (1), 32-42.
- Lindgren Fjellner, R. , Varea, V. & Barker, D. (2022). How physical education teachers are positioned in models scholarship: a scoping review. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy.
- Kamoga, S. & Varea, V. (2022). ‘Let them do PE!’: The ‘becoming’ of Swedish physical education in the age of COVID-19. European Physical Education Review, 28 (1), 263-278.
- Goodyear, V. , Andersson, J. , Quennerstedt, M. & Varea, V. (2022). #Skinny girls: young girls' learning processes and health-related social media. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 14 (1), 1-18.
- Varea, V. , Riccetti, A. & Siracusa, M. (2021). The Powerpuff Girls: making it as early career academics in physical education. Journal of Gender Studies, 30 (6), 687-698.
- Varea, V. & González-Calvo, G. (2021). Touchless classes and absent bodies: teaching physical education in times of Covid-19. Sport, Education and Society, 26 (8), 831-845.
- Lautaro Galak, E. & Varea, V. (2020). Conceptualizations of the body as a subject and object of study in South American and Anglo-Saxon Physical Education. Staps, 130 (4), 97-108.
- Gonzalez-Calvo, G. , Varea, V. & Martinez-Alvarez, L. (2020). 'I feel, therefore I am': unpacking preservice physical education teachers' emotions. Sport, Education and Society, 25 (5), 543-555.
- González-Calvo, G. & Varea, V. (2019). A Turning Point as an Opportunity to (Re)Think and Give a Voice to One’s Own Body. Societies, 9 (3).
- Varea, V. (2019). Embodying latinness in Australia through dance. Revista Tempos e Espaços em Educação, 12 (31), 81-96.
- Pang, B. , Varea, V. , Cavallin, S. & Cupac, A. (2019). Experiencing risk, surveillance, and prosumption: health and physical education students’ perceptions of digitised health and physical activity data. Sport, Education and Society, 24 (8), 801-813.
- González-Calvo, G. , Varea, V. & Martínez-Álvarez, L. (2019). Health and body tensions and expectations for pre-service physical education teachers in Spain. Sport, Education and Society, 24 (2), 158-167.
- Varea, V. (2019). On being a non-white academic in physical education and sport pedagogy. Sport, Education and Society, 24 (4), 325-337.
- Varea, V. , González-Calvo, G. & Alcalá, D. H. (2019). The influence of consumerism on Spanish physical education teachers. European Physical Education Review, 25 (4), 949-963.
- Varea, V. (2018). Exploring play in school recess and physical education classes. European Physical Education Review, 24 (2), 194-208.
- Varea, V. , González-Calvo, G. & Martínez-Álvarez, L. (2018). Exploring Touch in Physical Education Practicum in a Touchy Latin Culture. Societies, 8 (3).
- Varea, V. (2018). Mixed messages: Pre-service Health and Physical Education teachers’ understandings of health and the body and the expectations of the Australian curriculum. Sport, Education and Society, 23 (3), 244-256.
- Ndhlovu, S. & Varea, V. (2018). Primary school playgrounds as spaces of inclusion/exclusion in New South Wales, Australia. Education 3-13, 46 (5), 494-505.
- Varea, V. & Pang, B. (2018). Using visual methodologies to understand pre-service Health and Physical Education teachers’ subjectivities of bodies. Sport, Education and Society, 23 (5), 394-406.
- Varea, V. & Ndhlovu, S. (2017). Primary school games and play as inclusive/exclusive situations. Ágora para la Educación Física y el Deporte, 19 (2-3), 158-176.
- Varea, V. (2016). Body fat, pre-service Health and Physical Education teachers and moral connotations. Active + Healthy Magazine, 23 (1), 14-16.
- Varea, V. & Tinning, R. (2016). Coming to know about the body in Human Movement Studies programmes. Sport, Education and Society, 21 (7), 1003-1017.
- Varea, V. (2016). Percepciones sobre la grasa corporal en estudiantes de posgrado de Educación Física. Ágora para la Educación Física y el Deporte, 18 (2), 117-132.
- Haynes, J. E. , Miller, J. A. & Varea, V. (2016). Preservice generalist teachers enlightened approach to teaching Physical Education through Teacher Biography. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 41 (3), 21-38.
- Scharagrodsky, P. & Varea, V. (2016). Tracking the origins of Physical Education in Argentina and Australia. International Journal of the History of Sport, 33 (8), 777-796.
- Varea, V. & Underwood, M. (2016). ‘You are just an idiot for not doing any physical activity right now’: Pre-service Health and Physical Education teachers’ constructions of fatness. European Physical Education Review, 22 (4), 465-478.
- Pang, B. , Alfrey, L. & Varea, V. (2016). Young Chinese Australians' subjectivities of ‘health’ and ‘(un)healthy bodies’. Sport, Education and Society, 21 (7), 1091-1108.
- Varea, V. (2013). Exploring the origins and consequences of Health and Physical Education undergraduates’ body dispositions. The International Journal of Sport and Society, 3 (3), 207-218.
- Varea, V. (2012). La influencia de los superhéroes infantiles en la construcción social del cuerpo: Posibles implicancias para la Educación Física. Lecturas: Educación Física y Deportes, 16 (164), 1-6.
- Varea, V. (2010). Argentina, Educación Física y la producción de conocimiento: El caso de EFDeportes.com. Lecturas: Educación Física y Deportes, 15 (149), 1-6.
- Varea, V. (2010). ‘Había una vez…’: La influencia de la literatura infantil en la construcción social del cuerpo. Lecturas: Educación Física y Deportes, 15 (146), 1-6.
- Varea, V. (2009). El cuerpo de la Educación Física tradicional. Profes, 52, 1-5.
- Varea, V. (2009). La utilización de técnicas no convencionales para el estudio de representaciones del cuerpo: El caso de las estrategias proyectivas. Lecturas: Educación Física y Deportes, 13 (128), 1-7.
- Varea, V. & Ducart, M. (2009). Repensando la identidad de la Educación Física a partir de la (in)definición de Wikipedia. Lecturas: Educación Física y Deportes, 14 (136), 1-7.
Articles, book reviews
Articles, reviews/surveys
- Barker, D. , Varea, V. , Bergentoft, H. & Schubring, A. (2022). Body image in physical education: a narrative review. Sport, Education and Society.
Books
- Varea, V. (2016). Perspectivas socio-culturales para pensar el deporte. Buenos Aires: Ediciones CICCUS.
- Varea, V. (2012). Explorando el juego y el jugar: Implicancias de los jugadores en dos situaciones de juego. Lexington: Editorial Académica Española.
Chapters in books
- Varea, V. (2017). Cuerpos, feminidades y masculinidades en el deporte: Un abordaje sociocultural. In: A. Riccetti, A. Chiecher, A., & D. Donolo, Pan, queso y ojotas: Estudios alternativos sobre el deporte (pp. 377-390). La Laguna: Sociedad Latina de Comunicación Social.
- Varea, V. (2014). Shaping Body Ideas: Body Perceptions of Health and Physical Education Undergraduates. In: L. McLean, L. Stafford & M. Weeks, Exploring Bodies in Time and Space (pp. 49-60). Oxford: Inter-Disciplinary Press.
- Varea, V. (2013). En la búsqueda de significaciones socioculturales de cuerpos en la Educación Física. In: Valeria Varea & Eduardo Galak, Cuerpo y Educación Física: Perspectivas latinoamericanas para pensar la educación de los cuerpos (pp. 191-210). Buenos Aires: Editorial Biblos.
- Galak, E. & Varea, V. (2013). Introducción. In: Valeria Varea & Eduardo Galak, Cuerpo y Educación Física: Perspectivas latinoamericanas para pensar la educación de los cuerpos (pp. 9-14). Buenos Aires: Editorial Biblos.
- Varea, V. (2010). El cuerpo en el juego: Posibles diferencias entre el juego espontáneo y el juego de la clase de Educación Física. In: C. Centurión et al, Investigaciones en la Educación Física que viene siendo (pp. 133-147). Río Cuarto: Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto.
Collections (editor)
- Varea, V. (ed.) & Galak, E. (ed.) (2013). Cuerpo y Educación Física: Perspectivas latinoamericanas para pensar la educación de los cuerpos. Buenos Aires: Editorial Biblos.
Conference papers
- Barker-Ruchti, N. & Varea, V. (2021). Survivor stories: Healing from sexual abuse in women’s artistic gymnastics. In: Book of Abstracts. Paper presented at 2021 World Congress of Sociology of Sport, [DIGITAL], November 15-19, 2021. (pp. 66-67).
- Varea, V. (2020). Health and wellbeing: Learning from recently-arrived asylum seekers. Paper presented at Nordic Educational Research Association, NERA 2020, Turku, Finland, 4-6 March 2020.
- Varea, V. (2019). ‘I Feel, therefore I am’: Unpacking Preservice Physical Education Teachers’ Emotions. Paper presented at European Conference on Educational Research, Hamburg, Germany, 2019.
- Martinez-Alvarez, L. , Varea, V. & Gonzalez-Calvo, G. (2018). Exploring touch in Primary Physical Education practicum. Paper presented at International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education Conference (AIESEP 2018), Edinburgh, UK, July 25-28, 2018.
- Varea, V. , González-Calvo, G. & Hortigüela-Alcalá, D. (2018). The influence of consumerism on Spanish Physical Education teachers. Paper presented at The European Conference on Educational Research (ECER 2018), Bolzano, Italy, September 3-7, 2018.
- Varea, V. (2017). Coming to research bodies in Health and Physical Education: An autoethnographic approach. Paper presented at International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education Conference (AIESEP 2017), Gosier, Guadeloupe, the Lesser Antilles, November 7-10, 2017.
- Olive, R. & Varea, V. (2017). Healthy, happy, strong and active: Progress selfies and the construction of women’s bodies on Instagram. Paper presented at UQ HMNS Seminar Series, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, August 18, 2017.
- Olive, R. & Varea, V. (2016). Healthy, happy, active, strong: Progress selfies and the construction of women’s bodies. Paper presented at 10th International Somatechnics Conference. Technicity, Temporality, Embodiment. Byron Bay, NSW, Australia, November 30 - December 3, 2016.
- Varea, V. , Miller, J. & Haynes, J. (2016). Learning about the body and health through social media in rural communities. Paper presented at Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE 2016), Brisbane, Australia, September 25-28, 2016.
- Varea, V. (2015). Pre-service Health and Physical Education teachers’ discourses of the body and health in Australia and Argentina. Paper presented at International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education Conference (AIESEP 2015), Madrid, Spain, July 8-11, 2015.
- Varea, V. (2015). ‘You are just an idiot for not doing any physical activity right now’: Pre-service Health and Physical Education teachers’ constructions of fatness. In: Radmann, A., Hedenborg, S., Tsolakidis, E., 20th annual Congress of the European college of sport science 24th - 27th June 2015, Malmö – Sweden Book of abstracts. Paper presented at 20th Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science, Malmö, Sweden, June 24-27, 2015. European College of Sport Science.
- Varea, V. (2014). Behind the 8 Ball: Pre-service Health and Physical Education teachers and the new Australian Curriculum. Paper presented at Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) and New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE) Conference, Brisbane, Australia, November 30 - December 4, 2014.
- Varea, V. & Tinning, R. (2014). Coming to know about the body in Health and Physical Education (HPE) programs. Paper presented at International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education (AIESEP 2014), University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand, February 10-13, 2014.
- Varea, V. (2013). New methodological approaches to studying the body among HPE trainee teachers. Paper presented at The Australian Sociological Association Symposium (TASA 2013), Melbourne, Australia, November 25-28, 2013.
- Varea, V. (2012). HMS Understandings of the Body. Paper presented at Research Seminars of the School of Human Movement Studies, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 2012.
- Varea, V. (2012). Implicancias de las perspectivas socioculturales del cuerpo en la educación física. Paper presented at Congreso Latinoamericano de Educación Física, Cochabamba, Bolivia, January 19, 2012.
- Varea, V. (2012). Por qué una sociología del cuerpo y del deporte. Paper presented at Congreso Latinoamericano de Educación Física, Cochabamba, Bolivia, January 20, 2012.
- Varea, V. (2012). The body as a professional ‘touch stone’: In the search of Health and Physical Education undergraduates’ body perceptions through visual methodologies. Paper presented at Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) and Asian-Pacific Educational Research Association (APERA) Conference, Sydney, Australia, December 2-6, 2012.
- Varea, V. (2011). Bodytime: Exploring body dispositions of HMS (Education) professionals. Paper presented at 10th Annual School of Human Movement Studies Postgraduate Conference, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 2011.
- Varea, V. (2011). Exploring body dispositions among Health and Physical Education professionals. Paper presented at Australian Association for Research in Education Conference(AARE 2011), Hobart, Australia, November 27 - December 1, 2011.
- Varea, V. (2011). Uncovering body dispositions among Health and Physical Education (HPE) professionals. Paper presented at Association for Qualitative Research Conference (AQR 2011), Cairns, Queensland, Australia, August 23-25, 2011.
- Varea, V. (2010). Bodily identities and possible methodology: First steps. Paper presented at Health & Physical Education Research Forum, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, August 13-15, 2010.
- Varea, V. (2009). Entre la diversidad metodológica: Estrategias proyectivas para el estudio de las representaciones de cuerpo. Paper presented at Congreso de Deporte, Educación Física y Sociedad, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 25-27, 2009.
- Varea, V. (2009). Estrategias proyectivas para el abordaje de representaciones del cuerpo. Paper presented at 8º Congreso Argentino y 3º Latinoamericano de Educación Física y Ciencias, La Plata, Argentina, May 11-15, 2009.
- Varea, V. (2009). La enseñanza de la Gimnasia en las clases de Educación Física: ¿una práctica corporal olvidada?. Paper presented at Primer Congreso Internacional de Educación Física Escolar, General Pico, Argentina, July 3-5, 2009.
- Varea, V. (2007). Formación y práctica docente en Educación Física desde las representaciones de los graduados. Paper presented at Jornadas de Investigación de la Facultad de Ciencias Humanas, Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto, Cordoba, Argentina, May 18-19, 2007.
- Varea, V. (2006). Representaciones acerca de la formación y práctica docente en el campo de la Educación Física: Una mirada desde los graduados noveles. Paper presented at Ateneo de Divulgación de Trabajos de Investigación del Departamento de Educación Física, Universidad, Nacional, de Rio Cuarto, Cordoba, Argentina, November 20, 2006.
Doctoral theses, monographs
- Varea, V. (2014). The body as a professional ‘touchstone’: Exploring Health and Physical Education undergraduates’ understandings of the body. (Doctoral dissertation). Brisbane, Australia: The University of Queensland.