Decline in enjoyment of physical education among culturally and linguistically diverse youth

Abstract: Enjoyment of physical education (PE) is frequently cited as alegitimate outcome in many PE curricula in Organisation for EconomicCo-operation and Development (OECD) nations (Dudley et al., 2011). Thepurpose of this study was to examine how student enjoyment of PE changedduring the first two years of secondary schooling in Australia. Participants were586 students enrolled in six culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD)secondary schools (2 x co-educational, 2 x all girls’ and 2 x all boys’). Aprospective cohort design was used with data collected using the PhysicalActivity Enjoyment Scale (PE version) (PACES PE). There was a small(MD = â€Â'1.8, d = â€Â'0.30) but significant (p < .001) decline in overall enjoymentof PE between Grade 7 and Grade 8. The decline in enjoyment of PE wasgreatest among girls (regardless of school-type) and having to change uniformshad the largest negative effect (d = â€Â'0.42) of that decline. Peer relationshipshad the largest negative effect (d = â€Â'0.40) on boys enjoyment of PE. It isrecommended that schools examine PE uniform policies and increasing teacherand peer support strategies in PE to maintain enjoyment during middle/highschool.