The Ways of Teachers’ Use of Sex Category in Physical Education Classes

From the Descriptions of Long-distance Running training in a High School

Abstract

This study explores the ways PE teachers organize their class and teach their pupils using sex categories ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ in a public high school in the Western area of Japan. The data comes from the video recording of 12 classes of long-distance running by eight PE teachers in 2004. This study shows the four ways by which teachers use sex categories in their instructions. First, they demand higher level of performance for boys than girls. Second, they arrange boys and girls to form a line side by side and direct them to move and exercise separately. Third, some teachers direct girls to use short-cuts in their running, yelling at them ‘Girls, go to this course.’ Fourth, PE teachers cheer and blame their pupils by using sex categories such as ‘Ladies, You are too slow.’ This article shows the ways and the contexts PE teachers make their pupils boys and girls.