Physical education grades as markers of hedonic motivation to move: affective experiences from PE in adolescent girls and boys.
- 1Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Sport and Exercise Psychology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany.
Abstract
Physical education (PE) grades represent one educational indicator routinely available within many school systems. Because PE unfolds in a highly visible and embodied context, grades may also reflect affective-motivational processes. Understanding the information they contain is therefore practically relevant. This study explored whether PE grades are associated with students' hedonic motivation (antipathy-attraction) toward PE, sport, and exercise, and whether these associations differ between girls and boys. A total of 547 German school students (297 girls, 250 boys; 10-19 years old) completed a PE-specific version of the Affective Exercise Experiences Questionnaire (AFFEXX-PEG) and reported their two most recent PE grades. A linear mixed-effects model examined associations between grades and antipathy-attraction. Better PE grades were associated with higher antipathy-attraction scores among both girls [b = 0.38, 95% CI (0.33, 0.44)] and boys [b = 0.26, 95% CI (0.19, 0.32)]. Boys reported higher antipathy-attraction scores than girls [b = 0.84, 95% CI (0.65, 1.03)]. The association between grades and antipathy-attraction was stronger among girls than among boys [b = -0.13, 95% CI (-0.21, -0.04)]. Boys tended to report positive antipathy-attraction scores even with modest PE grades, whereas among girls, predicted motivation typically shifted into the positive range only at better grades. The findings suggest that PE grades may function not only as indicators of students' standing in PE but also as markers of their affective motivation toward PE, sport, and exercise. Used reflectively, grades may therefore provide a prompt for teachers to explore and address this motivational dimension more directly, particularly among girls.
Related
- From generative-AI feedback to sport skill learning: the roles of perceived competence and autonomous motivation in university physical education
- The effect of project-based learning on students’ motivation in school-based physical Education and behavioral intention toward sport participation: a theoretical and empirical perspective in educational sport contexts
- Exploring the impact of gamified elements on motivation-related variables in physical education
- Motivational climate, basic psychological needs, intrinsic motivation, and engagement in Chinese students during physical education classes.
- Implementation Experiences of a School-Based Adolescent Nutrition Education Intervention: A Post-Intervention Qualitative Study Guided by Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and the Social Ecological Model
BibTeX
@article{kunz2026physical,
title = {{Physical education grades as markers of hedonic motivation to move: affective experiences from PE in adolescent girls and boys.}},
author = {Jona Kunz and Ralf Brand},
journal = {Frontiers in sports and active living},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fspor.2026.1922786},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42952725},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Physical education grades as markers of hedonic motivation to move: affective experiences from PE in adolescent girls and boys.
AU - Jona Kunz
AU - Ralf Brand
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - Frontiers in sports and active living
DO - 10.3389/fspor.2026.1922786
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42952725
AB - Physical education (PE) grades represent one educational indicator routinely available within many school systems. Because PE unfolds in a highly visible and embodied context, grades may also reflect affective-motivational processes. Understanding the information they contain is therefore practically relevant. This study explored whether PE grades are associated with students' hedonic motivation (antipathy-attraction) toward PE, sport, and exercise, and whether these associations differ between girls and boys. A total of 547 German school students (297 girls, 250 boys; 10-19 years old) completed a PE-specific version of the Affective Exercise Experiences Questionnaire (AFFEXX-PEG) and reported their two most recent PE grades. A linear mixed-effects model examined associations between grades and antipathy-attraction. Better PE grades were associated with higher antipathy-attraction scores among both girls [b = 0.38, 95% CI (0.33, 0.44)] and boys [b = 0.26, 95% CI (0.19, 0.32)]. Boys reported higher antipathy-attraction scores than girls [b = 0.84, 95% CI (0.65, 1.03)]. The association between grades and antipathy-attraction was stronger among girls than among boys [b = -0.13, 95% CI (-0.21, -0.04)]. Boys tended to report positive antipathy-attraction scores even with modest PE grades, whereas among girls, predicted motivation typically shifted into the positive range only at better grades. The findings suggest that PE grades may function not only as indicators of students' standing in PE but also as markers of their affective motivation toward PE, sport, and exercise. Used reflectively, grades may therefore provide a prompt for teachers to explore and address this motivational dimension more directly, particularly among girls.
SN - 2624-9367
ER -