Adolescent Girls' Experience With Power and Gender Relations in Physical Education

Understanding the power relations in a physical education setting and how adolescent girls formulate their social and self identities within this context is pertinent to examine adolescent girls' embodiment for them to have a true sense and understanding of themselves. Power, control, surveillance, and gender issues are components of power relations that are present in the physical education environment. To understand adolescent girls' thoughts and feelings within their bodies and physical education environment, Foucault suggests power relations must be explored from the individual's perspective within the environment. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore how adolescent girls perceive and feel about their bodies while they engage in physical education and how they navigate ways to feel comfortable within their own bodies and the physical education environment. Methods: Participants were seven ninth and tenth grade girls from a coeducation class of ninth through twelfth graders. The class met for 82 minutes every other day for one full semester and offered activities such as football, indoor soccer, and fitness. Data were collected from focus group and individual interviews, activity artifacts, journals, and descriptive field notes from observations. Data were analyzed using content analysis and open, axial, and selective coding. Analysis/Results: Results indicated that gender issues in coeducation classes positively and negatively influenced their thoughts, feelings, and experiences in physical education. Participants discussed the complexity of gender issues in coeducation classes such as; male dominance, gender segregation, and gender stereotypes. First, male dominance in coeducation classes left participants feeling ignored and invisible, which ironically motivated them to attempt to gain credibility from the boys. Second, coeducation classes were often segregated based on the activities offered. Finally, participants perceived that gender stereotypes influenced girls' and boys' behavior and participation in physical education. These gender issues were major factors that affected their comfort and type of participation in physical education. Participants' comfort influenced whether they did not participate, participated (i.e., blending in), or actually participated. Participants purposely created strategies to thrive or survive in physical education based on their comfort. Conclusions: Results suggest that adolescent girls are willing to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences when they are provided a comfortable and safe space where they can engage in discourse among their peers. Adolescent girls have a deeper understanding of how they think and feel within their bodies and their stories need to be told and heard.