Students’ perception of dominant objectives in Physical Education: the Purpose of Physical Education Scale

Abstract

Background: Possible PE discourses and possible outcomes of such discourses are frequently debated in PE research. According to the literature instrumental and performance discourses, as well as more holistic, developmental discourses exist but there is reason to question how far into the PE teaching and thus PE students’ learning processes these discourses reach. At present, we do not know to what extent discourses identified in the discursive climate around PE are recognized by students in terms of learning objectives and because of this we do not know how the mix of discourses conveyed through teachers affects students’ learning, development, attitudes and behavior. Due to a lack of an adequate and validated instrument, dominant principles for teaching PE have not been confirmed statistically in large samples of students. Aim of study: The aim of the present study is therefore to develop a Purpose of Physical Education Scale (PPES) that assesses students’ experiences of three different purposes in PE, reflecting three different PE discourses discussed in prior research. Based on our construct definition, we generated 12 initial items that were tested through three independent studies. Results: Psychometrics revealed a reliable three factor solution with 10 items and a full uniqueness invariance between independent groups (females and males). Application: In the final part of the paper, we discuss (1) how the PPES can be applied in national and international studies and how PPES can reveal associations that have not been revealed before, and (2) how it can be applied in more local projects undertaken by PE teachers to enhance engagement, among students, parents and teachers, with how PE works in their school.