Perceptions of Contextual Stressors in Physical Education. A Qualitative Case Study

Eli-Karin Sjåstad Åsebø,Helga S Løvoll,Rune Johan Krumsvik

doi:10.3389/fspor.2020.528979

Eli-Karin Sjåstad Åsebø, Helga S Løvoll + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2020.528979

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Abstract

Background: Daily stressors have a significant impact on students' educational outcomes. However, research on students perceived and common contextual stressors in physical education (PE) lessons is limited.Purpose: To identify potential contextual stressors in PE contexts and what students perceive as stressors.Participants: Ninth-grade students (age 14-15) and their PE teachers recruited from three classes in one lower secondary school in Norway.Research Design: This qualitative case study used data generated from descriptive field notes from participant observations in PE lessons, formal interviews and informal conversations with PE teachers, focus group and individual interviews with students, and a supplementary survey using the TurningPoint student response system. Conversations were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006; Tolmie et al., 2011; Braun et al., 2019) and the NVivo 12 Pro analysis software. The survey was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 21.Findings: This study supports and expands previous research exploring students' stressors in PE and highlights the volume and variety of potential stressors in PE contexts. The findings shed light on certain similarities and differences that may exist between students of different genders and grades and with different past physical activity experiences. In the present study, spectators, in addition to difficult tasks and low self-efficacy, seemed particularly stressful for girls. This article presents nuances revealed by various qualitative approaches and a supplementary survey.Conclusion: Students in this study experience a multitude of stressors during PE lessons. These include stressors in the teaching, physical, and social environments, as well as personal factors. The stressors experienced depend on the situation, the lesson content, the parties involved, students' past experiences, and their appraisal of these stressors. In our sample, girls seemed to be more vulnerable to contextual stressors in PE than boys.

Highlights

This qualitative case study research (Stake, 2006) addresses an important part of current state of knowledge internationally, which we have limited research knowledge about in the Norwegian context; students’ perceptions of contextual stressors in physical education (PE) lessons.In addition to Bildung and reflection, one of the aims of PE is to contribute to public health goals and increase physical activity among young people (Norwegian Directorate for Education Training, 2015)
Focus groups and interviews, we found both convergence and inconsistency and contradictory findings (Mathison, 1988) regarding self-perceived stress from PE in the survey data, which especially indicates that some students are more vulnerable to contextual stressors than others
The analyses show that spectators, in addition to difficult tasks and low self-efficacy, seem stressful for girls

Summary

Introduction

This qualitative case study research (Stake, 2006) addresses an important part of current state of knowledge internationally, which we have limited research knowledge about in the Norwegian context; students’ perceptions of contextual stressors in physical education (PE) lessons.In addition to Bildung and reflection, one of the aims of PE is to contribute to public health goals and increase physical activity among young people (Norwegian Directorate for Education Training, 2015). This qualitative case study research (Stake, 2006) addresses an important part of current state of knowledge internationally, which we have limited research knowledge about in the Norwegian context; students’ perceptions of contextual stressors in physical education (PE) lessons. In a national mapping study of PE (5th−10th grades) in Norway, it appears that most students like PE, but there is a small group that “dread” it (Moen et al, 2018). They see a negative development from primary to lower secondary school, where students like PE less and experience a lack of mastery as they grow older. Research on students perceived and common contextual stressors in physical education (PE) lessons is limited.

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