New Paper published in The Journal of Early Adolescence
📖 I am excited to share that our latest paper is now published in the Journal of Early Adolescence: “Gauging Acceptance: A Multifaceted Examination of Physical Ability and Its Role for Peer Networks in Adolescent Physical Education” coauthored with Annabell Schüßler!
Our study explores the impact of perceived physical ability on peer collaboration in physical education through three lenses: self-concept, peer assessments, and teacher ratings. Using data from 302 students from 14 school classes, we analyzed how these perceptions influence team partner choices.
Key Findings:
Physical ability is a significant factor in choosing team partners. High-performing and similar-performing peers are more likely to be selected, indicating that peer perceptions of ability are strongly associated with collaboration networks in sports games. 🏆
Of the three perspectives of ability, only peer-perceived ability was a significant predictor of team partner choices. This highlights the unique role of peer assessments, which are rarely addressed in the literature. 👥
Gender and liking also play important roles in team partner selections. Students tend to prefer peers of the same gender and those they like, but peer-perceived ability remains a strong independent predictor even when controlling for these factors. 👫
These findings emphasize the importance of understanding peer dynamics in physical education to foster positive social interactions. For more details, check out the full paper here: https://doi.org/10.1177/02724316241265459