Body image and motivation towards physical activity among early adolescents – the impact of grading in physical education

It is important that children develop positive relationships to physical activity and their own body, for the sake of their health and well-being in life. At the same time, many children and adolescents do not reach the recommended levels of physical activity today. Many young people also struggle with body dissatisfaction. This projects aims to investigate in what ways early adolescents’ body image and motivation towards physical activity are associated with their first grade in physical education (PE). In Sweden, early adolescents receive their first PE grade at the age of 12, during a time of intense pubertal changes that increase their focus on the body. In this light, we seek to answer the question if children’s body image, and motivation towards PE and physical activity are affected by receiving the first grade in PE.