Secondary Students' Perceptions of Enjoyment in Physical Education: An American and English Perspective

The purpose of the study was to identify American and English secondary students' determinants of enjoyment in physical education using Scanlan and Lewthwaite's (1986) Sport Enjoyment Model as a theoretical and conceptual framework. Open-ended semi-structured interviews, lasting between 30 and 75 minutes were conducted. Using open and axial coding, four themes and five categories representing student perceptions of enjoyment were established. These themes were: teacher impact, class activities, student determinants, and the physical education environment. Based on the findings, implications for practice are presented.