Digital Transformation of Education in Empowering the Development of Physical Education in Schools: History, Current Situation, and Future

Digital transformation of education, as a crucial element of new productive forces, serves as a significant driver for the advancement of physical education in schools. This study defines the concept of digital transformation of education through categorical logic, process logic, and typological logic, and examines the process, application areas, and existing issues of digital transformation of education in empowering the development of physical education in schools. Based on this analysis, recommendations for future development are proposed. The study posits that digital transformation of education, centered around data, integrates digital technology into five key elements: teachers, students, teaching resources, communication tools, and teaching activities, thereby facilitating a comprehensive transformation of the educational system constituted by these elements. Digital transformation of education in empowering the development of physical education in schools has undergone four stages: inception, application, integration, and transformation. Throughout this process, several challenges have emerged, including: 1) Insufficient digital literacy among teachers, accompanied by a lack of proactive engagement; 2) limited adoption of digital products, impeding human-machine integration; 3) inadequate depth of data mining, resulting in weak decision-making support; and 4) a dearth of efficient digital collaboration mechanisms, leading to a low level of normalized usage. To achieve a high-quality development of physical education in schools through digital transformation of education, the study recommends the following: 1) At the macro level of government governance, emphasis should be placed on interconnectivity to guide systematic restructuring based on objectives; 2) at the meso level of school autonomy, a link between the subjects and objectives should be established to promote the comprehensive reconstruction of schools through technology integration; 3) at the micro level of human-machine co-governance, multiple processes must be empowered to drive evidence-based development of theories and practices in physical education in schools through data-driven approaches.