Investigating Female Student Enrollment in Physical Education 11

Michelle Kilborn

M.A. Thesis (1999)

Supervisor: Dr. Sandra Gibbons

School of Physical Education

University of Victoria

Keeping female students interested and participating in physical education classes is a difficult task faced by many secondary physical educators. In British Columbia, only 10-12% of females in grade 11 enroll in physical education, compared with 22-24% of their male counterparts. This low participation rate causes concern since there is considerable evidence of the health benefits of physical activity. Although researchers have offered a wide variety of suggestions, it is still uncertain as to which combinations of recommendations, positively affect female enrollment in elective physical education. One way of addressing this issue is to investigate existing programs that already have a high enrollment of female students in physical education. What makes these programs different from programs that have low enrollment of female students? Is there anything in these programs that may provide insight as to the most important factors to include in a PE program in order to improve the enrollment of female students?

Focus group interviews with female students in grade 11 (N=27) were conducted in two rural towns in British Columbia that had high enrollment of female students in physical education. The purpose of these discussions was to gain insight into the female student experience and the factors that encourage or discourage young women from in Physical Education 11.

Three major themes emerged from the focus group data: (1) fairness and equity; (ii) meaning and value; and (iii) have fun and take a break. These themes indicated that young women desire physical education programs that are fair, equitable, meaningful, and enjoyable. While it is a multifaceted issue, there were a number of factors within and across themes that the young women in this student felt encouraged them to enroll in PE 11. Some of these factors included: fair assessment practices, positive peer interaction, supportive and encouraging teachers, being able to choose activities, having input into which activities are offered, offering meaningful and valuable activities, and having "fun." Contrastingly, there were some negative factors that discouraged participants from enrolling in PE 11 including: negative teacher behaviour, and peer interaction, timetable conflicts, and graduation or post-secondary requirements. While this study did not report any new factors that female students feel are important to have in the PE environment, it supports that notion that females will enroll in PE 11 if their needs, interests, and abilities are taken into consideration.