Physical education across international media (2018-2024): dominant narratives and global patterns of portrayal.

Background: Public understandings of physical education (PE) are influenced by how the subject is portrayed in the media, yet recent international representations remain under-examined. Methods: We systematically identified English-language media articles indexed by Google News between April 2018 and November 2024. After applying pre-specified inclusion criteria, 122 articles representing 30 national or territorial focus contexts, including three transnational items, were retained. Concept patterns were identified using Leximancer as a fixed-corpus semantic mapping tool, and eight scholars conducted a three-phase interpretive synthesis involving independent review, elaboration, and consensus. Results: International media coverage most frequently connected PE with schools, physical activity, sport, fitness, students, and teachers. Physical, sporting, and institutional themes were highly connected across the corpus. Educative concepts relating to learning, development, experience, and pedagogical practice were present but were less prominent and less centrally connected. Conclusions: International media coverage predominantly represented PE through physical, institutional, and sport-oriented language, while its broader educative purposes received less consistent attention. The study provides a descriptive baseline for PE organisations, educators, and researchers considering how the subject is publicly communicated.