Who Is Having Fun in Physical Education Classes? Experiences of Sixth-Grade Students in Elementary and Middle Schools

Observers of any public school physical education class could notice students performing tasks at different levels of mastery. Some would perform the tasks well or modestly well, whereas others might display persistent problems in executing simple motor skills. Some things, of course, could not be observed. Less visible, for example, would be the cumulative motoric, social, and psychological consequences for individuals of low skill in physical education settings. Less obvious would be the subtle patterns of social interaction involving the low skilled. Physical educators lack systematic information about low-skilled students' experiences in physical education and the long-term consequences of being low skilled. There are no descriptions of intact physical education classes concerning the role played by students of low skill in the day-to-day events of teaching and learning. Significant numbers of students in virtually every physical education class are not doing well; therefore, it is important to understand why this lack of achievement occurs. Two areas of literature were used to frame this study: (a) performance in physical education classes, and (b) learned helplessness.