Low levels of physical activity have been reported in a growing number of children and adolescents, with this problem being most prevalent among preadolescent and adolescent girls. It has been hypothesized that the perceived lack of physical activity could be related to unpleasant experiences in the physical education setting. Research indicates this is particularly true among adolescent females in co-educational physical education classes. Researchers and teachers have begun to question whether girls may benefit from having physical education separate from boys. The purpose of this study was to investigate the views held by high school girls involved in coeducational and single gender format classes towards physical activity and physical education. Participants included 41 girls enrolled in two physical education classes at a predominately Caucasian, middle class, North Florida high school. Permission to conduct the study was obtained from the University, school district, administration, teachers, participants and parents prior to the start of the study. Participants engaged in a four-week flag football unit. Two weeks were in traditional coeducational format, and two weeks were in single gender format classes. Following completion of the four-week unit, female participants were asked to take part in focus group discussions about their feelings toward physical education and activity. Focus groups have been shown to elicit candid discussions by fostering an open atmosphere, encouraging spontaneous discussions about defined topics. Questions were developed from literature reviews on the topic of co-ed physical education, student alienation, perceived competence, and attitude of physical activity and physical education. The core questions were open-ended with subsequent probes designed to target specific topics. Sessions lasted approximately 40 minutes and included groups of five to six girls and one moderator. The moderators were trained to conduct the groups by following a semi-structured format of core questions and probes. Training for the moderators included assigned readings, practice, and feedback. Moderators guided the discussion to permit and encourage full participation. Each session was audiotaped and transcribed. Investigators read the transcripts of all focus groups. Repeated words, phrases, sentences, and concepts as well as tone, context, and nonverbal responses were summarized for each group. Summaries were compared, and themes identified based on frequency and intensity of summary content. Emerging major themes included socialization, same gender interaction, competition/cooperation, and individual versus team sports. Information from themes indicated that the girls in this study at times preferred single gender format classes, but generally preferred coeducational classes.