SECONDARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION AVOIDANCE AND GENDER: PROBLEMS AND ANTIDOTES

Our goal was to locate and evaluate the barriers that impact and cause females to avoid secondary elective physical education courses. We sought to find answers to stop the further decline of female enrolment in secondary physical education by looking into curricula, program and instructional variables. Anecdotal evidence informed this study which was very much exploratory, building upon several key facts. First, Ontario (Canada) secondary students are only required to take one credit (course) in physical education in order to graduate and second, most students take the required physical education course in grade nine which is their first year of high school. Following this there is an average of 10% fewer females in every physical education class in the province of Ontario and only an average of 12% are enrolled in physical education each year. Several issues were identified and explored including self-confidence; motivation; perceived value of physical activity; opportunities for physical activity; marking scheme; competition; co-ed classes; teaching approach; and peers as possible problems and solutions.