There is plenty of quantitative evidence, and frankly anecdotal as well, that attitudes decline toward PE as students get older…but why is that? This article examined student attitudes through a qualitative lens, actually asking the students that question of “why?”
Middle School Students’ Perceptions of Physical Education: A Qualitative Look
Researchers often say that combatting obesity and advocating for health and wellness in children begins at school where they spend the majority of their time and are most susceptible to influence. Physical education (PE) in schools engage students with one another in a highly interactive, social environment to promote physical activity that can assist students in learning new skills, improving measures of health, and fostering lasting relationships among all those involved. Sounds like a great experience, right? Well, since experiences are perceptions of those experiencing it and perceptions depends on the attitude of the individual, this is not always the case.
According to attitude theory, attitudes towards something are developed through the combination of affect (i.e. perceived fun or enjoyable) and cognition (i.e. perceived usefulness or importance). Changes in attitude can be explained through reasoned action model. This model suggests that a behavior is molded from: a) a person’s attitude created by a combination of a person’s belief about an outcome with their evaluations of the outcome and b) subjective norms created by a combination of beliefs about a behavior and the person’s motivation to comply.
A similar theory, the Theory of Planned Behavior is broken down here in a short 7min podcast.
Research in middle school physical education has observed trends of decreasing attitudes toward PE as students grow older. However, these findings have limited evidence to explain why this may be occurring so this study set out to provide answers by asking the question, “what is contributing to the observed decreases in student attitudes toward PE,” to provide “a much-needed student voice to the reasons for changes in attitude that are otherwise well documented in quantitative research.”
Sixty-five students participated in this qualitative study. Students were in the 5th, 6th and 7th grade and were assessed in their current grade level and additionally the following year (i.e. 5th to 6th,6th to 7th and 7th to 8th). All students were assessed using focus groups. In addition, the researchers used notes taken from observations, evidence from implemented curriculum and lesson plans of the teachers, and other sources of information
So, what made attitudes of these students decline over time? We found that there were negative associations with the curriculum, social environment and grading policies. New experiences can be exhilarating but monotony can destroy excitement in an activity. Students often reported that the curriculum was repetitive and boring. The curriculum did not change from year to year and led to decreased enjoyment of participating. Socially, girls and boys have unique perspectives and behaviors that clash at a young age. Boys tended to display higher aggression and competitiveness that is discouraging to girls who just want to play and have fun. However, from the perspective of the boys, girls do not participate enough in an attempt to maintain their appearance (i.e. hair, nails, sweating, etc.).
Now, let’s be clear here: Some girls do enjoy competition, and some boys don’t… and not all boys are aggressive and competitive. As with any research it’s important to remember that just because one narrative guides that specific research paper, it is not always representative of ALL students in that study, and most definitely of all students in the USA, or N. America, or Europe etc.
Self-conscious behaviors also tended to negatively impact attitudes on fitness testing that can lead to feelings of humiliation and discouragement. Lastly, students are unable to understand their overall grade. Most students perceived PE as an “easy A”, and were unable to understand the purpose of assignments, and were often confused with inconsistency in grading policies.
This study explains some of the reasons for the observed declines in student attitudes towards PE. A combination of boring classes, no connection with the usefulness of assignments and activities, and a lack of connectedness among peers ultimately meant decreased affect and cognition leading to decreased attitude and therefore culminating in poor behavior and a lack of participation. Valuing student input and adjusting the curriculum to activities that interest the students, allowing students enough time for changing after class and providing clear, and consistent grading with meaningful assignments could be useful in increasing attitude toward PE in middle school students.
Authors: Brian Guthrie, Risto Marttinen, & Sharon Phillips.
Full Cite: Phillips, S. R., Marttinen, R., Mercier, K., & Gibbone, A. (2020). Middle School Students’ Perceptions of Physical Education: A Qualitative Look. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 1(aop), 1-9.