Pedagogic Framing and Context-Dependent Gender Differences in University Physical Education Experience

This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study maps differentiated patterns of university physical education experience across six interrelated domains and explores how such patterns may be produced in practice. A 2×2×2×2 factorial MANOVA (N=944) indicated small but significant effects of gender and year level, alongside context-dependent configurations, including Gender×Major and Gender×Major×Region interactions. Gender differences clustered in competence-related domains in science majors, contracted in humanities majors, and reversed for classroom climate. Follow-up interviews with students (n=40) and teachers (n=6) generated mechanism-oriented themes concerning visibility risk, tiered pathways, progress-referenced feedback, and structural constraints associated with large classes and institutional assessment and course-selection arrangements. Joint displays integrated statistical patterns and thematic mechanisms, suggesting that group differences can be interpreted as potential signals of how PE is enacted under classroom and institutional conditions, rather than as fixed traits. The findings point to designable levers and governance alignment to lower entry thresholds and support more equitable participation.