«Det er jo ikke alltid gøye øvelser, men vi er jo nødt til å gjøre de» : En kvalitativ undersøkelse om elevenes trivsel i kroppsøvingsfaget på mellomtrinnet

Abstract

Physical education (PE) aims to form lifelong participation. In order to achieve this, students well-being can be important. However, there are few studies concerning students well-being in PE in middle school. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide significant knowledge on how to achieve well-being in PE for students in middle school.The study’s thesis question is «What type of experiences in physical education leads to well-being among students in middle school?». The study is based on the Self-Determination Theory and the psychological needs autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The study includes a phenomenological inspired design with qualitative interviews. The selection includes nine students from seventh grade. The data are analyzed with thematic analysis.The results display that the students had different experiences regarding the psychologicalneeds. They could feel low autonomy given the amount of influence they were allowed in the course, although it was not as important if the activity was fun. They could feel increased competence through praise from the teachers, mastering, and partaking inmoderate activities. However, they could feel lower competence through pressure and comparison to other peers, or lack of praise from the teachers. They could feel relatedness towards the class, but also experience exclusion from their peers and teachers.The study’s implications indicate that teachers need information concerning students experiences in the course in order to facilitate an autonomy-supportive teaching approach. An autonomy-supportive teaching approach can be essential for students well-being in the course, which can be crucial for their lifelong participation.