Abstract :
[en] After obtaining a master’s degree and the qualification to teach physical education (PE) at upper secondary level in 1959 (University of Liège, Belgium), Maurice Piéron held a number of temporary teaching posts before completing his military service in Germany, during which he improved his English and learned German and Russian. He began working as a teaching assistant at the University of Liège in September 1962. He pursued his entire academic career there, becoming a full professor in 1988 and retiring in 2002.
Upon taking office, his ability to synthesise information, his exceptional memory, and his knowledge of languages - later expanded to include Spanish and Portuguese - soon led to his appointment as editor-in-chief of the Revue analytique d’éducation physique et sportive, a role that further broadened his connections with international academic institutions and colleagues. Naturally, such experience led him to become involved in the International Organization for Physical Education in Higher Education (AIESEP), founded in 1962. He held executive positions there for 40 years as secretary then vice-president.
Along with a few other pioneers, he was one of the driving forces behind the development of research in sports pedagogy, keen to provide a scientific basis for interventions in physical and sporting activities and for the training of physical educators. In the mid-1970s, he embarked on the analysis of PE teaching and followed the evolution of the main research paradigms in educational research. In parallel with his involvement in the AIESEP, and in collaboration with colleagues from other international organizations, he was a founding member and served as the inaugural President of the International Committee of Sport Pedagogy (ICSP; 1984–1992), where he played a key role in the pioneering development of the first international compendium of terminology in sport pedagogy.
Maurice Piéron is certainly one of the precursors of mixed methods, as he very early supported the combination of observational and declarative data collection in an ecological vision of the teaching-learning context. Towards the end of his career, he became increasingly interested in physical activity and youth lifestyles.
His publications directly influenced school practices both in French-speaking Belgium and abroad. Throughout his career, having clearly recognised the importance of publishing, he was particularly prolific compared to his contemporaries. By the time he retired, his CV included over 350 publications, including several books translated into Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. He was also a tireless globetrotting lecturer who gave over 500 lectures, seminars, oral and poster presentations, as well as numerous course series across five continents. He supervised more than 40 PhD students in Belgium, Portugal, Spain, and Mexico. This earned him, among other honours, an honorary doctorate from the prestigious Universidade Técnica de Lisboa.
Maurice Piéron passed away on 31 July 2025, at the age of 88, leaving a rich legacy for researchers in the field of sports pedagogy, which is available online to members of AIESEP.
