Understanding physical educators’ perceptions of mattering

Abstract

Previous research has illustrated that physical educators feel their subject is valued less than others in the context of schools. However, to date, no instruments have been developed to measure physical education teachers’ perceptions of mattering. This study sought to propose and validate the Perceived Mattering Questionnaire – Physical Education (PMQ-PE). In total, 460 physical educators completed an online survey that measured perceived mattering, role stress, and resilience. Data analysis began with exploratory factor analysis to identify a stable two-factor structure that measured physical educators’ perceptions that they matter and that the discipline of physical education matters. Next, confirmatory factor analysis was used to affirm the factor structure and to examine convergent, discriminant, and divergent validity. The model was a good fit for the data and the PMQ-PE correlated positively with resilience and negatively with role stress. These analyses support initial validation of the PMQ-PE.