1. “You don’t have fun if you are not with your friends
“You don’t have fun if you are not with your friends.” What students say about participating in physical education.
Stuart Forsyth, Senior Lecturer Physical Education;
David Rowe, Reader Exercise Science;
Nanette Mutrie, Professor Sport & Exercise Psychology;
Jim McNally, Professor Teacher Education.
With support from:
Ruth Lowry, Senior Lecturer Exercise & Sport Psychology. .
In Scotland the grouping with the lowest percentage reaching the minimum level of physical activity is the 14 – 15 age band (Scottish Executive, 2003; Scottish Government, 2009);
A number of researchers identify PE as the main curricular vehicle to educate young people about the importance of being physically active in relation to personal health (Cavill, Biddle & Sallis, 2001; Fox & Harris, 2003; O’Sullivan, 2004);
New curricular policy rationalises PE provision in this way (Scottish Executive, 2004).

2. The Problem?
My personal history here and my resulting personal investment in the research.

3. Three Related Studies/One High School
Study
Aims 1
To measure students’ autonomous motivation in relation to their participation in physical education. 2
To listen to student voices with the purpose of investigating experiential and other issues surrounding engagement in physical education for a group of high school students. 3
To create a pedagogical intervention that is informed by student voices and to test the intervention’s effectiveness in a quasi experimental design.
In Study 1 the whole of the third year completed the BREQ, adapted for physical education (n = 268). This provided the research team with a measure of each individual student’s autonomous motivation to take part in PE. Thus we discovered which students were highly motivated and which students were not.

4. Participants 18 male and 18 female high school students;
Age range 14 – 15;
Six focus groups, two of single gender and two of mixed gender;
All participants completed Study 1 questionnaire;
Three groups of high motivation, three with low motivation.

5. Method All discussions were recorded using a digital voice recorder;
The first author transcribed all recordings with pseudonyms used to identify students.
In broad terms the analysis process drew on interpretivism (Bryman, 2008);
Open coding was used to transform the raw qualitative data into themes within each of the five topics;
In broad terms the analysis process drew on interpretivism (Bryman, 2008). This qualitative research tradition makes a number of ontological and epistemological assumptions emphasising that social reality is subjective and that social research cannot explain things in terms of grand theories and universal truths (Denscombe, 2010).
Accordingly, the study had aspects of phenomenology as it described the important features of high school physical education for the participants without trying to explain how or why things happened (Bryman, 2008; Pope, 2006).

6. Topics & Research Questions
What are students’ experiences of physical education?
What are barriers for students to participation in physical education?
What are facilitators of participation for students in physical education?
What do students view as benefits of participation in physical education?
What are students’ aspirations for physical education?
What is the evidence of gender differences in each of the previous questions?
The five topics emerged from initial meetings of the research team;
They all had their origins in the first author’s extensive experience in high school physical education;
Each topic also had a basis in issues surrounding the physical education experiences of Scottish high school students debated at national policy level (Scottish Executive, 2002, 2004);

7. Experiences of PE. “What has your experience of physical education been like?”

8. Experiences: Sample Student Responses
“It’s like a break from other subjects. You learn to do sports you have never done before.” (Female student, high motivation);
“I like the amount of activities you get, it’s not just….there is something for everyone.” (Male student, high motivation);
“I have hated it.” (Female student, low motivation);
“Em, yeah, I like competing against people but I think it is a laugh an all, so aye, I do enjoy it.” (Male student, low motivation).

9. Barriers to Involvement in PE
Barriers to Involvement in PE. “What makes taking part hard for you in physical education?”

10. Barriers: Sample Student Responses
“Why can’t we wear like whatever like as long as it fits me.” (Female student, high motivation); “You make a mistake, you are playing in with people who are really competitive, they are on your back constantly about it. It puts their confidence right down and things like that.” (Male student, high motivation); “You don’t have fun if you are not with your friends.” (Female student, low motivation); “Yeah like I hate it if someone gets annoyed at me…….cos I didn’t do very well…….” (Male student, low motivation);
….well if it was hockey or something and you have to go outdoors, your hair gets wrecked and we always get hockey in winter. Girls like to pamper themselves and stuff; then you have got to carry stuff with you for the whole day cos of the fact you get it first and if it’s been pouring or something, I wouldn’t mind if it was last thing. Your clothes are soaking ….and you have a change with you the whole day so that kinda puts you off. (Female student, high motivation)

11. Facilitators of Involvement in PE
Facilitators of Involvement in PE. “What is it about physical education that makes joining in good for you?”

12. Facilitators: Sample Student Responses
“Someone who understands your thoughts and who knows where you are coming from; people like can understand the pupils’ point of view.” (Female student, high motivation);
“Yeah, at first we were all allowed to choose what group we could go into and most likely you go with your mates.” (Male student, high motivation);
“Having PE late in the afternoon.” (Female student, low motivation);
“…people that don’t take part in English or Maths would probably quite like to take part in PE. It’s a more active thing.” (Male student, low motivation).

13. Perceived Benefits of PE
Perceived Benefits of PE. ”If you always took part in physical education, what benefits would there be for you?”

14. Benefits: Sample Student Responses
“It’s like a break from other subjects.” (Female student, high motivation); “Yeah, it’s just like you get to interact with people as well so it benefits you that way.” (Male student, high motivation); “We are not really getting exercise in PE. We get more walking to and from school every day.” (Female student, low motivation); “Fitness, you just enjoy it and it makes you happy.” (Male student, low motivation).

15. Aspirations for PE. “What would make physical education good for you and help you join in every lesson?”

16. Aspirations: Sample Student Responses
“Do away with colours and you would try harder…..”(Female student, high motivation); “Have indoor courts or something so if it is raining like that you can have your sport inside.” (Male student, high motivation); “If they did more than stand, like they just stand there and not do anything. If they got involved.” (Female student, low motivation); “….wouldn’t nag at the pupils and give the pupils what they wanted to do.” (Male student, low motivation).

17. Previous Research?
Some students enjoy PE and other do not, Dyson, (2006), Lake, (2001);
Students value the social benefits of physical education, Dyson (2006);
Brief acknowledgement of the Fitness Benefits that physical education can provide. In previous studies this was found to have more importance for students in physical education, Dyson, (1995), Hohepa et al, (2006), Tjeerdsma, Rink & Graham, (1996), Wilson et al, (2005);
Only one student, a male with high motivation, felt that Skill Development was a Perceived Benefit of Physical Education. This is not consistent with the findings of other researchers who found that students who enjoyed sport, enjoyed physical education when they were taught about skills and tactical awareness, Tannahill & Zakrajsek, (1993), Tjeerdsma et al, (1996), Walling & Duda, (1995).
Most of the findings are consistent with previous research on student voices in physical education. Some findings are not. Here are some initial examples.
PLUS: (for Information)
Here only brief acknowledgement of a wish to have a Bigger Choice of Activities on offer. In previous studies this was found to have more importance for students to improve their motivation to participate in physical education (Dyson, 1995; Hohepa, et al., 2006; Tjeerdsma, et al., 1996; Wilson, et al., 2005).

18. What does this research tell us?
Four key issues that surround engagement in physical education for high school students stand out.
Being with friends;
The teacher;
Having a say in the selection of activities;
Institutional issues that the school controls.
1. Concurs with previous research: The importance of being with friends, Hohepa et al, (2006), Schofield (2004); ADD PERSONAL COMMENTS
2. Concurs with previous research: The importance of the Teacher Cothran & Ennis (1999), Reeve, Jang, Hardre & Omura (2002).
3.Concurs with previous research: The importance of having input into the activities, Courtourier, Chepko & Coughlin (2005).

19. Gender
Findings also show that gender is influential on how physical education experiences are interpreted;
In the main male students regardless of their level of motivation to participate find physical education enjoyable;
In contrast to this, in the main female students regardless of their level of motivation to participate find physical education unenjoyable.
Gender has previously been found to be influential on how physical education experiences are interpreted by students, Pissanos & Allison, (1993);
More adverse comments in relation to PE from female students, Mulvihill, Rivers & Aggleton, (2000);
Negative experiences of PE have previously been found in young females, Hamzeh & McCaughtry, (2009).

20. PE Kit
Another gender difference that is a Barrier of Involvement in Physical Education to many female students’ participation and at the same time an Aspiration for Physical Education for many female students, is PE kit;
Females with high and low motivation dislike wearing mandatory school colours and want to be able to choose what to wear for physical education;
This is not an issue for any male students in this study.
This finding is consistent with previous researchers, Flintoff & Scraton, (2001), O’Donovan & Kirk, (2008), Whitehead & Biddle, (2008).

21. And….
Some male and female students with high motivation value physical education and as such find it a Break from Other subjects;
There are many Barriers to Involvement in Physical Education;
When male and female students with low motivation believe students have A Lack of Ability or Confidence, they find taking part hard due to an emphasis on Competition;
A key barrier for many female students is Male Student Behaviour during physical education classes.
The issue of Male student behaviour for female students, Flintoff & Scraton, (2001);

22. Next Steps?
The recommendation of this study was to test the success of a pedagogical intervention that was based on the student needs identified above;
This provided an assessment of the effectiveness of student voices in improving student motivation to participate in high school physical education classes.

23. End of Presentation
Questions?