Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore students’ perceptions of visibility in physical education (PE) using a single cumulative case study approach. Data were generated from the descriptive field notes of seven participant observations ( n = 77), individual semi-structured interviews ( n = 13) and five focus group interviews ( n = 18) with ninth-grade students (ages 14–15 years) from three classes in a public lower secondary school in Norway. The findings show that students perceive visibility differently depending on the context; some students like being visible in PE, while others dread it. Perceptions change rapidly and are situation-specific, influenced by the lesson content, the way the teacher facilitates the lessons, self-perception shaped by past experiences, the presence, actions, and attitudes of fellow students, body pressure and societal body ideals. The findings actualise the relevance of the transaction model of stress and coping ( Lazarus and Folkman, 1984 ) in determining when visibility in PE is and is not perceived as stressful. Consequently, the organization of the PE environment benefits from these insights.
Highlights
IntroductionIn physical education (PE) do students undress, expose their bodies and demonstrate their physical skills in front of others
The feeling of ‘being watched’ may be a unique attribute of physical education (PE)
The findings of Åsebø et al (2020) show that visibility is a facet of the perceived teaching environment that acts as a contextual stressor
Summary
In PE do students undress, expose their bodies and demonstrate their physical skills in front of others This process may make them feel vulnerable and cause them to display different behaviors than in other. According to Tudor et al (2019), some students perceive the public nature of PE as a stressful experience linked to social, physical, organizational and performance-related environmental stressors. According to the subject curriculum in Norway (Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training, 2020), the stated aim of PE is to promote mental and physical health. It should foster a positive self-image that can strengthen students’ identities and help them learn how to manage their own health. Considering the physical exposure inherent in PE, we seek to understand how students perceive visibility in PE, the significance of that context and why some students experience it as a stressor while others do not
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