Exploring Changes in Students’Participation Experiences According to Teacher Interventions in Elementary Physical Education Classes

Objectives This study examined student participation in elementary physical education as a continuous and context-dependent phenomenon rather than a fixed or dichotomous category. The purpose was to explore how participation varies and shifts according to instructional contexts and teacher interventions. Methods Participants were 91 fifth-grade students and four elementary school teachers. Students’bodily–kinesthetic intelligence and daily physical activity levels measured by pedometers were used as analytical coordinates to locate relative positions along a participation continuum, not for classification. Qualitative data were collected through video-stimulated recall interviews with teachers, using selected lesson recordings to elicit interpretations of students’participation and instructional decisions. Results Participation emerged as varying degrees of engagement distributed along a continuum. Students with similar intelligence and activity levels demonstrated different participation patterns depending on task structure, feedback methods, assessment focus, and peer group organization. Teachers described upward or downward shifts in participation through differentiated tasks, context-sensitive feedback, and intentional mediation of peer interactions. Conclusions Participation in elementary physical education is a dynamic and relational process shaped by instructional contexts and teacher decision-making. These findings highlight the importance of designing learning environments that support meaningful participation for all students.