Factors influencing high school girls’ enrolment in elective physical education: an exploratory qualitative inquiry

ABSTRACT

This exploratory study sought to describe the meaning high school girls in the mid-Atlantic region of the USA ascribe to their physical education (PE) experiences, inquire about the factors influencing their enrolment in elective PE, and to explore desired changes to PE. Sixteen girls aged 15–17 years participated in semi-structured focus group interviews. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. An inductive open coding approach revealed three themes: (a) ‘Being physically active with my friends’ (b) ‘To take or not to take elective PE? That is still the question’ and (c) ‘More personal, more educational PE’. The participants desired less fitness testing, the incorporation of more common sports, and allowing elective PE courses to count towards credits for graduation. These findings provide meaningful implications to increasing girls’ enrolment in elective PE, which subsequently impacts the habits they form in late adolescence and carry into adulthood.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescence
• female
• curriculum
• senior secondary
• optional

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Summer Davis, [email protected] M.S. Ed., CHES, is a doctoral candidate at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia (US). She obtained her master’s degree in Health and Physical Education from Old Dominion University in 2015 and is on track to receive her PhD in Health and Sport Pedagogy in May of 2019. Her research interests include motivational and pedagogical issues in health, physical education and physical activity, specifically focusing on gender issues, fitness testing and populations that are overweight and obese.

Xihe Zhu, [email protected] PhD, is an Associate Professor of Health & Physical Education at Old Dominion University, in Norfolk, Virginia (US), a Carnegie high research activity institution. He obtained his doctorate degree in kinesiology from University of Maryland – College Park in 2009. His research focuses on epidemiological, psychological, and pedagogical variables such as physical activity, health-related fitness, motivation and learning among school-aged children and adolescents.

ORCID

Justin Haegele http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8580-4782