Exploring the Past: A Retrospective Look at the Experiences of Young Men in High School Physical Education Classes
Date
2023-04-18
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
0000-0002-8340-2974
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
High school physical education classes aim to provide young men with the competence and confidence needed to lead a physically active lifestyle (Borghese, 2019; Tanaka et al., 2018). As well, physical education is recognized as a significant contributor to the daily accumulation of moderate to vigorous physical activity among young men (Tanaka et al., 2018). However, a considerable gap exists in the literature regarding what specific factors influence young men to participate during their physical education classes. Using a retrospective, qualitative description study, this research project explored the previous high school physical education experiences of 10 male-identifying students at the University of Saskatchewan. Using two rounds of semi-structured, individual interviews, each participant’s previous physical education experiences were investigated at length. The findings from these individual interviews can be understood through three themes: Us and Them, The Physical Education Teacher: “Him and His Football Boys” and Physical Cultural Capital. Woven throughout these three themes, the findings suggest that several key factors play a role in determining a young man’s participation and engagement in physical education. These key factors include competitiveness, participation in community hockey or on the school football team, relationships with the physical education teacher and accruement of physical cultural capital. The findings of this study support previous research, identifying physical cultural capital as a factor that affects engagement in physical education (Jachyra, 2014). As there is a paucity of research regarding young mens’ experiences with participation in physical education, this study aimed to add relevant information to a topic that lacks sufficient research.
Description
Keywords
Physical Education, Physical Cultural Capital
Citation
Degree
Master of Science (M.Sc.)
Department
Kinesiology
Program
Kinesiology