Peer provocation in physical education: experiences of Botswana adolescents

Abstract

Critical incidents of peer provocation in physical education were investigated among 675 junior secondary school students in Botswana. Data were generated through a brief, open-ended questionnaire requesting the students to narrate their experiences of bad, hurtful and offensive peer behaviours during physical education classes. Six overlapping categories of peer provocation that emerged from the data were: humiliation, injustice, physical assaults, sexual harassment; dangerous play and female physicality frighteners. These categories are discussed with reference to the themes central to boys’ and girls’ experiences. To the extent that peer provocation is differentially aimed at boys and girls, it is crucial to recurrently (en)gender its analysis. This study encourages educators in general and physical education teachers in particular to take heightened interest in, and reflect more critically about proactive ways to address the multiple domains and consequences of peer provocation in physical education settings.