Research Paper on Biological Sex Difference and Physical Education

📌Category: Education, Gender Equality, Learning, Sex, Social Issues, Sports
📌Words: 960
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 20 January 2022

Today, we could discuss what words we use in our language. Gender issues are in the media and there is a lot of talk about them in education. One of the areas where we really need to think about this question is physical education. Research shows that physical education teachers report that they have little training on gender issues in physical education and that they are largely unaware of the link between gender and inclusion (Lleixàa et al., 2020, cited in Lagestad et al., 2021).  We can look at the situation from different perspectives, such as biological sex, gender stereotypes, how both genders perform in physical education classes, and their attitudes towards physical activity.  

Biological sex is important because weight and size are related to endurance, strength and mobility, which contribute to the basis of physical performance (Hansen, 2005, cited in Lagestad et al., 2021). Studies have also found that boys' physical superiority and size allow them to dominate in physical activity (Evans, 1989; Lagestad, 2017, cited in Lagestad et al., 2021). However, the following should be noted “Even though the boys reported that they were physically superior to the girls in the PE lessons, there are still boys who pointed out that it was possible for the girls to be in better shape than them.” (Lagestad et al., 2021, p.4)

On the other hand, the characteristics of the definition of femininity are physical weakness, passivity, dependence, friendliness, cooperation, understanding and concern for physical appearance (Connell et al., 2005, as cited in Serra et al., 2021). This polarity is consistent with the information that students receive from the media. In Spain, the representation of physical education teachers in fiction series aimed at teenagers embodies the stereotype that a strong and beautiful body is incompatible with intelligence (Pérez López, et al., 2014 cited in Serra et al., 2021). Their intellectual incapacity is a film cliché (McCullick et al. 2003; Walton-Fisette, Walton-Fisette et al., 2017, cited in Serra et al., 2021). Their professional qualities are characterised by their physical dispositions in a teaching logic that focuses on the performance of the biological body (McCullick et al.2003; Pérez López et al., 2014, cited in Serra et al., 2021). However, students give less intensity to the explicit attribute of masculinity, indicating themisrecognition that characterizes symbolic violence (Bourdieu and Wacquant2005, cited in Serra et al., 2021). This violence is perpetrated because adolescent students perform their degree judgments through cognitive schemas constructed from the hegemonic masculinity that maintains patriarchy, but they are unable to recognize the impact of this social construction on their attributions (Serra et al., 2021).

Considering the second perspective, studies have shown that both gender and students' immigrant background and the intersection of these groups are strongly associated with unequal school grades in physical education (PE1) (Svennberg & Högberg, 2018, cited in Jansson et al., 2021). 

Escolano-Pérez & Bestué, (2021) also describe this situation in terms of gender differences in academic achievement:

Being female is another variable that is associated positively with AA in all of the models,  except in that of Physical Education AA. This suggests that female participants, maintaining the other variables as constant, obtained a higherAA than their male counterparts,  for all of the classes,  except for Physical Education (where gender did not appear to have an effect, given that there were no gender-based differences). (p. 14) 

Gender differences in access, participation and interest in sport have been identified (Metcalfe, 2018, cited in Bortoleto et al., 2020). In many places, school sport follows this trend, with unequal, uneven and problematic gender participation (Del Castillo-Andrés et al., 2013, cited in Bortoleto et al., 2020). Achieving gender equality in sport remains an important challenge that needs to be taken into account in any discussion on sport participation (Lentillon et al., 2006, cited in Bortoleto et al., 2020). 

Physical education appears to reflect gender differences in out-of-school physical activity, as there is some evidence that girls are less likely than boys to engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in PE lessons (Smith, Lounsbery and McKenzie2014; Timo et al., 2016, as cited in Marmeleira et al., 2020). This trend may be related to the fact that boys seem to enjoy and be more interested in PE lessons and perceive their skills more positively than girls (Marmeleira, Aldeias,and Graça2012; Fairclough2003, cited in Marmeleira et al., 2020).

It is worth noting that there is an ongoing debate on how teachers can positively promote students' experiences of the meaningfulness of physical activity. The categorization of students' perceived learning in this study can shed new light on aspects that students themselves perceive as important and meaningful (Jansson et al., 2021).  Adequate training of teachers on gender equality challenges and possible solutions is also one way of working towards gender equality (Hills and Croston, 2012, cited in Bortoleto et al., 2020).

Other possible strategies to increase girls' interest and participation in physical activity include non-competitive environments, fun activities suitable for different skill levels (and interests) and girls-only classes (Barr-Anderson et al. 2008, cited in Marmeleira et al., 2020). Importantly, the results showed that boys have better grades in physical education than girls, but the opposite is true for most other school subjects. It is imperative to identify the causes of these gender differences in performance in order to design appropriate interventions (Marmeleira et al., 2020).

Nevertheless, there are studies of physical education of new perspectives and these studies show still results of gender differences (Mateu et al., 2021; Bortoleto et al., 2020). The results revealed that girls showed greateren joyment with the interactive dance games than the boys. However, no gender differences emerged in the enjoyment oftraditional games There are no statisticallysignificant differences between gender and the level of satisfactionwith dance in leisure time (Mateu et al., 2021).

In to bargain, in schools with younger children there were no noticeabledifferences in gender preferences for certain circus disciplines, but older students showed strong preferences along genderdivisions (Bortoleto et al., 2020) .  

Therefore, I agree with Bortoleto et al. (2020) that gender trends in schools should be monitored and that in-service training should be provided for teachers. Well-trained teachers are crucial for the quality of teaching and are better able to provide different pedagogical strategies to maintain inclusion and gender equality. (Bortoleto et al., 2020).

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