Abstract:

In the current Italian educational and regulatory framework, physical education in primary schools plays a strategic role in promoting well-being, active citizenship, and inclusion, aligning with principles outlined in European and national educational policies aimed at the holistic development of the individual. Today, physical education faces complex challenges: fostering the development of fundamental motor skills, encouraging healthy lifestyles, and supporting processes of self-regulation and conscious participation. From this perspective, the Ecological-Dynamic Approach, together with the principles of Non-Linear Pedagogy, provides a theoretical framework that fosters a genuine paradigm revolution, wherein the adoption and maintenance of active lifestyles are directly linked to meaningful participation in movement experiences conducted within flexible, adaptive, and learner-centred environments. This systematic review aims to analyse how nonlinear pedagogical approaches can support educational planning in physical education in primary and secondary schools. The goal is to identify, based on evidence, theoretical and practical principles and strategies useful to teachers and specialist instructors for creating inclusive and motivating physical experiences that foster children's autonomy and motor skills and the development of high-quality physical literacy. The review analysed 23 peer-reviewed studies published between 2018 and 2025, identified through a systematic search of major international scientific databases (PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO, Google Scholar, MDPI). The selection encompassed empirical studies with experimental and quasi-experimental designs, case studies, and theoretical contributions that explored the application of these approaches to populations of children and adolescents. The analysis particularly focused on the methods of implementation and the outcomes associated with the application of the principles of the Ecological-Dynamic Approach and Non-Linear Pedagogy in school Physical Education. Evidence shows that the application of approaches based on the manipulation of constraints and the variability of learning situations promotes the development of functional and creative motor solutions, stimulating flexibility, autonomy, and active participation. Inclusive, playful, and experiential activities are associated with increased intrinsic motivation, emotional regulation, and social skills. The adoption of strategies that stimulate experiential and motor variability appears to be closely linked to the consolidation of motor and cognitive skills. The integration of nonlinear pedagogical approaches into physical education in primary and secondary schools coherently responds to current educational and regulatory needs, offering teachers tools to design dynamic, personalised learning experiences oriented to the overall well-being of the student. The complexity perspective, combined with the enhancement of interactions between the individual, the environment, and the task, allows for the promotion of autonomy, body awareness, and active lifestyles. In this scenario, the teacher emerges as learning designers capable of creating authentic and meaningful practice contexts, capable of combining teaching effectiveness, inclusion, and personal development.

Keywords:

Nonlinear Pedagogy, Constraints-Led Approach, Ecological Dynamics, Physical Literacy, Learning Environments Design.