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The experience of low-skilled students in public school physical education: The significance of being chosen last
Abstract
Thirteen low-skilled sixth graders enrolled in 4 classes in 3 different schools were identified using a combination of teachers' rankings and skill test scores. The thirteen were interviewed both individually and in small groups, and were observed over two contiguous units of their physical education class. Use of the Brophy-Good Dyadic Interaction recording instrument was interspersed throughout the study. All low-skilled students experienced physical education classes as humiliating, frustrating, embarrassing, and barely tolerable. They were subjected to continuous criticism and harassment by their peers--abuse which their teachers did not challenge or act to limit. Success was largely attributed to previous experience and luck. It was rarely attributed to instruction and practice. Failure was attributed to inability or lack of effort. Students devised a number of behaviors to reduce continued failure, from announcing failure in advance, to avoiding the learning task. The professional rhetoric of "providing a positive learning environment for all" and "having fun in physical education class" must be re-examined in light of this study.
Subject Area
Educational psychology|Education|Elementary education|Educational sociology
Recommended Citation
Portman, Penelope Ann, "The experience of low-skilled students in public school physical education: The significance of being chosen last" (1992). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9233134.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9233134