The Role of Physical Ability in Team Partner Selection in Adolescent Physical Education: Examining Ability- and Gender-Based Differences

Previous research has highlighted physical ability to be an important factor for adolescents’ social acceptance and peer relationships in physical education. However, it has not yet been highlighted whether students of different physical ability and gender differ in their preferences for selecting peers in physical education. A sample of 472 students (48.1% girls) from 21 grade 5 classes in Germany completed questionnaires to assess the role of physical ability on team partner selection in physical education. Using exponential random graph models, this study examined differences in team partner nominations based on physical ability, friendship and gender for students of different physical ability and gender. Results show that high performing students and boys are more frequently chosen as team partners, and that high performing students emphasize the physical ability of their peers significantly more than low performing students. Additionally, all students preferred to play with their friends and peers of the same gender, and no differences in team partner selection could be observed for boys and girls. Further analyses reveal that low performing students are rarely chosen as team partners, especially by high performers. The findings highlight the prominent role of physical ability for peer relationships in physical education and demonstrate how students’ selection patterns drive differences in the social acceptance of high and low performing students.