‘To participate or not to participate?’—status and perception of physical education among Muslim Arab-Israeli secondary school pupils

Abstract

It is widely reported that physical education (PE) is less popular among girls than boys. This is sometimes accounted for with reference to puberty-related physical changes associated with growing awareness of gender stereotypes. When it comes to societies which are conservative regarding women's role, such as the Muslim Arab-Israeli society, a more complicated picture emerges regarding participation of girls in PE class. The goals of the present study were to examine the participation rates in PE class among a sample of high-school Muslim Arab-Israeli pupils, to identify factors that shape their perceptions towards PE and to build models predicting participation in PE class. The findings revealed that the probability of girls’ participation in PE class is related to a PE-supporting family and to the personality and professionalism of the PE teacher. The models are discussed in the context of how to assimilate PE among girls despite a cultural environment that disapproves it.