The Impact of "Body Image" on Junior High School Girls' Physical Education Grades - The Strongest Factor is the Feeling of "I Think I Can": The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy and Physical Education Grades

The Impact of "Body Image" on Junior High School Girls' Physical Education Grades - The Strongest Factor is the Feeling of "I Think I Can": The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy and Physical Education Grades

What Happens When Being "Seen" Becomes Being "Measured"

An article published on Phys.org on September 24, 2025, focuses on the timing when grades are first assigned in physical education for the final year of Swedish elementary school (6th grade) and reports on its relationship with children's body image. There are two main points: ①The higher the confidence in one's physical abilities (self-efficacy), the better the grades (common to both genders). ②For girls, the stronger the dissatisfaction with appearance and physical fitness, the lower the grades. The study targeted about 450 sixth graders in Sweden. It employed a longitudinal design, measuring through questionnaires at the beginning of the fall semester, after grades were given, and at the end of the spring semester, suggesting that "evaluation" during a developmentally sensitive period can ripple through subsequent interests and behaviors. Phys.org


Source and Reliability of the Study

These results are based on a press release from the University of Gothenburg (September 19) and a peer-reviewed article published in the academic journal European Physical Education Review (SAGE) titled "Grading the physical self." The lead researcher, psychologist Carolina Lunde, points out the possibility that grades may undermine the long-term goals of the curriculum (positive body image and lifelong exercise). The news and the original article are consistent in their publication dates, the purpose of the study, the timing of measurements, and the interpretation of gender differences. Göteborgs universitet


Why the Negative Correlation is Stronger "Only for Girls"

The press release cites the relatively stronger pressure of appearance norms on girls and the fact that physical education involves situations where the body is exposed (changing clothes and being seen) as the background. The higher the body dissatisfaction, the more likely it is to avoid being seen, which could lead to a reduction in opportunities for performance in class and consequently disadvantageous evaluations. By the end of the school year, a tendency for decreased interest and activity in health was also confirmed. This paradox suggests that while evaluations create a "short-term hierarchy," they might undermine "long-term habits." Göteborgs universitet


How to Foster "I Feel I Can Do It" in the Japanese Context

The Japanese curriculum guidelines (health and physical education) view physical education evaluation from three perspectives: **"knowledge and skills," "thinking, judgment, and expression," and "attitude towards learning actively." This approach aims to move away from a skill-centric focus and protect self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation. However, to implement these ideals in practice, specifics in lesson design and evaluation are needed. Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology


Keys to Implementation (Proposals)

  • Reducing Spectatorship: Focus on performance and mutual support in small groups/pairs rather than mass displays. Reduce the density of spectators' gaze and increase the number of trials.

  • Expanding Choices: Provide multiple activity options to achieve the same learning goals (e.g., short distance, coordination, jump rope). Diversify the paths to a sense of achievement.

  • Verbalizing Evaluation Criteria: Break down effort, self-regulation, and collaboration into specific rubrics, and clarify process evaluation.

  • Designing Safe Changing and Body Environment: Ensure avoidance of congestion in changing rooms, consideration of gaze, and freedom of clothing choice, among other environmental factors.

  • Feedback on Self-Efficacy: Praise not results but growth and strategies (e.g., "The effort to stabilize your pace was great" rather than "You were fast").

  • Visualizing Learners' Voices: Conduct regular observations of "anxiety" and "enjoyment" through anonymous exit cards or forms, and reflect them in instructional improvements.

(The above aligns with the framework of the guidelines. Japanese materials repeatedly emphasize the interrelation of knowledge and skills, the importance of attitude, and the formation of lifelong exercise habits.) Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

SNS Reactions: Sharing by Researchers and Real-Life Impressions

These findings were shared primarily by educational and physical education researchers on X (formerly Twitter) and introduced as a new article published in EPER. Additionally, a German science information account summarized the key points with the university logo and spread them. On the platform for everyday users, comments like "Looking back, it's completely unfair to grade kids based on PE performance." were seen on Threads, continuing the debate on the validity of evaluations themselves. The visualization by researchers and the real-life impressions of users are helping to push forward public opinion on "evaluation redesign." X (formerly Twitter)

 



Reading "Pathways" Instead of Causality

This study is designed to estimate pathways of correlation through a one-year longitudinal survey. It does not assert causality but is consistent with existing research. For instance, Lunde and colleagues have reported in previous studies the correlation between unauthorized absences (avoiding PE) and decreased body confidence and motivation, and the current results suggest a loop of **"avoidance→reduced performance opportunities→disadvantageous evaluation→further avoidance."** Therefore, it is crucial to design evaluations that do not reinforce avoidance. PubMed


Editorial Summary: Three Principles to Make Evaluation an "Ally"

  1. Process Over Results: Evaluate not just scores but also planning→execution→reflection.

  2. Choice and Concealment: Provide options for activities and choices in visibility (control over how one is seen).

  3. Support with Words: Use affirmative language about one's body and specific improvement language to overwrite self-efficacy.


Physical education should be a class to learn to love. If short-term ranking damages long-term health motivation, then the evaluation should be changed. "It's okay to move with the body you have now"—an evaluation design that conveys this can ultimately improve grades and future health. Göteborgs universitet


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Study suggests body image may affect girls' grades in physical education
Source: https://phys.org/news/2025-09-body-image-girls-grade-physical.html

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