PETE Candidates' Perceptions of Bullying Within High School Physical Education

Background/Purpose: Research suggests that physical education is often perceived as a physically and psychologically unsafe environment for some students (Smith & Goc Carp, 1996; Morrow & Gill, 2003; Trout & Graber, 2009). In order to create an educational climate that allows all students to engage fully and safely in the physical education setting, physical education teachers must be cognizant of the ways in which they help or hinder student participation. The purpose of this investigation was to discover Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) candidates’ perceptions of bullying within their high school physical education classes and the extent to which their teachers facilitated or hindered peer harassment in their classes.

Method: Upon obtaining institutional review board approval and informed consent, senior undergraduate researchers conducted focus group and individual interviews with 15 first year PETE candidates. Questions focused on PETE candidates’ perceptions of their high school physical education classes, the frequency and type of bullying behaviors observed, the role of their physical education teacher(s) in the bullying dynamic, and the degree to which students’ experiences with bullying in physical education impacted their perceptions of the content area.

Analysis/Results: All interviews were recorded and transcribed. Under the guidance and supervision of a PETE faculty member, the focus group and individual responses were analyzed using open and axial coding (Corbin & Strauss, 2008). Results indicate that PETE candidates perceived that lower skilled students were bullied most frequently during dodgeball, aquatics and team sports units. Further, given that the participants had positive experiences in physical education and have subsequently pursued physical education as a career, it was not surprising that many defended their high school physical educators’ actions regarding the ways in which they addressed bullying.

Conclusions: Overall, PETE students described bullying within their high school physical education classes, yet were unable to articulate the ways in which their physical education teachers’ actions or curricular choices may have contributed to an unsafe class environment. Future research should explore PETE candidates’ perceptions of how their placement along the bullying continuum as adolescents impacts their attitudes toward physical education bullying victims. Finally, future research examining PETE programs and their training regarding bullying prevention is warranted. It is hoped that with intentional curricular design and increased teacher awareness, bullying in physical education can be curbed.