Effect of Female Only Versus Coed Physical Education Classes on Social Physique Anxiety in 7th Grade girls

Abstract

It is well documented that there is a significant decrease in the enjoyment and participation of adolescent females in physical education (PE) classes. Adolescent females report a desire for single sex classes due to increased feelings of social physique anxiety (SPA). Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study was to examine changes in SPA of 7th grade females in same sex and coed PE classes. Forty-two 7th grade females from a junior high school in the Mountain West region of the United States participated in this pilot study. Group one participated in a female-only class, while group two remained in the school’s traditional coed class format. Scores from the Social Physique Anxiety Scale were used to measure change during a three week unit. A 2 x 2 ANCOVA was conducted to examine changes in SPA scores. Results revealed no significant changes between groups or within groups. However, a trend was observed with the same sex group’s SPA scores decreasing (9.75%) and coed scores increasing (8.3%). Several articles have examined same sex versus coed PE classes, but few have examined SPA within a middle school physical education setting. This study provides a starting point to further examine adolescent SPA in PE.