PE teachers’ perception of gender-based motivation levels in Physical Education

Abstract

Student motivation can be impacted upon by various factors during physical education due to the unique characteristics of the subject. Having motivation or lack of it determines how much students benefit from the lessons, and whether learning outcomes are reached. This research looks into whether gender has an effect on motivation during physical education. The causes of high and low motivation levels for secondary students during physical education are also looked into. This study also attempts to identify what strategies and actions can be taken by physical education teachers to make lessons as motivating as possible. Online interviews were utilised to gather data from a total of eight physical education teachers, coming from different school types. The participants were selected through purposive and convenience sampling. The teachers’ perceptions with regards to gender-based student motivation during physical education were analysed to recognise factors which influence student motivation, and whether a co-educational environment impacts this. Results indicate that gender does have an impact on adolescent students’ motivation. The main themes emerging from the collected data are: age; physical activity types; class type; self-perception; competence levels; peers affecting motivation; teacher and student motivation; lesson content; strategies and adaptations; grouping; motivators and demotivators; and way forward.