“It’s Not Just About the Activity, It’s Also About How the Activity is Facilitated”: Investigating Students’ Experiences in Two Competitive Situations in Physical Education

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research in the Scandinavian school context has indicated that physical education (PE) is dominated by activities and values from a sports discourse. The main aim of this study was to explore students’ experiences of two competitive activities provided by the teacher. The participants were 49 students (13–15 years old) and their two teachers from two secondary schools in Norway. Methods included written narratives, interviews, observation, and video recordings of PE lessons. Data were thematically analysed. Results showed that the teacher-facilitated one competitive activity with the aim of winning and another activity with the aim of educating the students. The teacher’s facilitation of the activities influenced the students’ experiences, goals, and effort in these activities. The study shows that it is important that teachers have clear learning outcomes for lessons and make students aware of those learning outcomes, and that students find the lessons useful in their everyday lives.