This study explores the social factors that influence young people's participation in school and out of school physical activities. Fifty-two 16-year-old adolescents from different socioeconomic backgrounds in one suburban and one inner-city secondary school in the Midlands, UK, participated in group interviews which explored their perceptions about physical activity and the constraints they had experienced. The study suggests that involvement in physical activity is linked with students' social class, home environment and economic status. The level of participation of students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds was limited compared to their higher socioeconomic counterparts. Furthermore, adolescents' `cultural', physical' and `economic' capital were salient factors in their involvement in physical activity settings. This study stresses the need for better and wider provision of structured physical activity in schools in economically deprived areas to compensate for lower participation levels.
Azzarito, L. and Solomon, M.A. (2005) `A Reconceptualization of Physical Education: The Intersection of Gender/Race/Social Class', Sport, Education and Society10(1): 25—47.
2.
Bourdieu, P. (1984) Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
3.
Corbin, C.B. (2002) `Physical Activity for Everyone: What Every Physical Educator Should Know about Promoting Lifelong Physical Activity', Journal of Teaching in Physical Education21: 128—44.
4.
Denzin, N.K. and Lincoln, Y.S. (2000) Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials . New York: SAGE.
5.
Department of Health (2004) At least Five a Week: Evidence on the Impact of Physical Activity and its Relationship to Health: A Report from the Chief Medical Officer. London: Department of Health.
6.
Duncan, J.M., Al-Nakeeb, Y., Nevill, A. and Jones, M.V. (2004) `Body Image and Physical Activity in British Secondary School Children', European Physical Education Review10(3): 243—60.
7.
Duncan, M., Woodfield, L., Al-Nakeeb, Y. and Nevill, A. (2002) `The Impact of SocioEconomic Status on the Physical Activity Levels of British Secondary School Children', EuropeanJournal of Physical Education7: 30—44.
8.
Evans, J. (2004) `Making a Difference: Education and “Ability” in Physical Education', European Physical Education Review10(1): 95—108.
9.
Fairclough, S. (2003) `Physical Activity Lessons During Key Stage 3 Physical Education', British Journal of Teaching Physical Education34(1): 40—5.
10.
Fairclough, S., Stratton, G. and Baldwin, G. (2002) `The Contribution of Secondary School Physical Education to Lifetime Physical Activity', European Physical Education Review8(1): 69—84.
11.
Foster, C. and Hillsdon, M. (2004) `Changing the Environment to Promote Health-Enhancing Physical Activity', Journal ofSport Studies22: 755—69.
12.
Gorely, T., Holroyd, R. and Kirk, D. (2003) `Muscularity, the Habitus and the Social Construction of Gender: Towards a Gender-Related Physical Education', British Journal of Sociology of Education24(4): 429—48.
13.
Gratton, C. and Jones, I. (2004) Research Methods for Sports Studies. London: Routledge.
14.
Green, K. (2004) `Physical Education, Lifelong Participation and the “Couch Potato” Society', Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy9(1): 73—86.
15.
Green, K., Smith, A. and Roberts, K. (2005) `Social Class, Young People, Sport and Physical Education', in K. Green and K. Hardman (eds) Physical Education: Essential Issues, pp. 180—96. London: SAGE.
16.
Hardman, E.A. and Stensel, D. (2004) Physical Activity and Health: The Evidence Explained . London: Routledge.
17.
Kirk, D. (2005) `Physical Education, Youth Sport and Lifelong Participation: The Importance of Early Learning Experiences', European Physical Education Review11(3): 239—55.
18.
LeCompte, M.D. and Preissle, J. (1993) Ethnography and Qualitative Design in Educational Research. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Macdonald, D., Rodger, S., Abbott, R., Ziviani, J. and Jones, J. (2005) `“I Could Do with a Pair of Wings”: Perspectives on Physical Activity, Bodies and Health from Young Australian Children', Sport, Education and Society10(2): 195—209.
21.
Macdonald, D., Rodger, S., Ziviani, J., Jenkins, D., Batch, J. and Jones, J. (2004) `Physical Activity as a Dimension of Family Life for Lower Primary School Children', Sport, Education and Society9(3): 307—25.
22.
Miles, M.B. and Huberman, M.A. (1994) Qualitative DataAnalysis. New York: SAGE.
23.
Owen, N., Leslie, E., Salmon, J. and Fotheringham, M.J. (2000) `Environmental Determinants of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviours', Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews28: 153—8.
24.
Shilling, C. (1991) `Education the Body: Physical Capital and the Production of Social Inequalities', Sociology25(4): 653—72.
25.
Shilling, C. (1993) The Body and Social Theory. London: SAGE.
26.
Shuttleworth, I. (1995) `The Relationship between Social Deprivation as Measured by Individual Free School Meal Eligibility and Educational Attainment at GCSE in Northern Ireland: A Preliminary Investigation', British Educational Research Journal21: 487—504.
27.
Wilson, T. (2002) `The Paradox of Social Class and Sports Involvement' , International Review for the Sociology of Sport37(1): 5—16.
28.
Wright, J. (2000) `Bodies, Meanings and Movement: A Comparison of the Language of a Physical Education Lesson and a Feldenkrais Movement Class' , Sport, Education and Society5(1): 35—49.
29.
Wright, J. and Burrows, L. (2006) `Re-concepting Ability in Physical Education: A Social Analysis', Sport, Education and Society11(3): 275—91.
30.
Wright, J., Macdonald, D. and Groom, L. (2003) `Physical Activity and Young People Beyond Participation' , Sport, Education and Society8(1): 17—33.
