How do high school students perceive and experience self-compassion in physical education?

Background Physical activity and physical education (PE) often involve social and emotional challenges. While PE has pedagogical supports to prevent these issues, there is limited research on equipping students with competencies to effectively navigate them. Self-compassion is a psychological construct linked to positive coping and offers a potential strategy for advancing social and emotional learning within PE.Purpose The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore high school students’ perspectives and experiences of self-compassion following its implementation in their PE classes.Methods Guided by a social constructivist approach, we implemented an exploratory case study design. A six-lesson self-compassion program was delivered to ninth-grade students, integrating breathing exercises, lectures, meditations, physical activities, and group reflections. Data were gathered through 42 individual interviews and 11 focus group interviews and analyzed using a six-step reflexive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke 2022).Findings The analysis yielded five primary themes representing students’ experiences: (1) ‘I’m okay with where I am,’ reflecting the development of a healthy, adaptive approach to performance and competition; (2) ‘I’m always getting better,’ indicating a shift toward a positive, long-term mindset about physical activity and well-being; (3) ‘We learn how to respect people more,’ highlighting the extension of self-compassion to improved interpersonal skills and social awareness; (4) ‘I’m using the skills outside the classroom,’ demonstrating the transfer of self-compassion techniques like breathing exercises to manage stress in other academic and personal contexts; and (5) ‘I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t like,’ which captured resistance from a subset of students who found the concepts or practices challenging.Conclusion The findings suggest that integrating self-compassion into PE can be a valuable pedagogical practice, fostering emotional resilience and a healthier, more sustainable approach to physical activity. While student resistance highlights implementation challenges, the majority of students experienced a positive perspective shift and acquired transferable life skills. This study underscores the need for PE to evolve beyond physical skill acquisition to intentionally cultivate students’ social, emotional, and mental well-being, equipping them to not only survive but thrive.Impact statement Integrating self-compassion in PE offers inclusive, emotionally intelligent, and sustainable pedagogical practices. This study underscores the need for PE to intentionally cultivate students’ social, emotional, and mental well-being alongside physical skill acquisition, equipping them to navigate setbacks in physical activity.