Teachers’ Grouping Decisions and Gender in Secondary Physical Education

This study examines how secondary school Physical Education (PE) teachers conceptualize and implement student grouping from gender perspective, focusing on the meanings, criteria, and tensions shaping their decisions. Using a qualitative interpretive design, 44 semi-structured interviews were conducted with PE teachers across Spain and analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis to identify discourses, decision-making logics, and assumptions about gender, ability, and participation. Findings show that teachers frame mixed-gender grouping as a coeducational strategy aligned with equity goals. Nevertheless, grouping practices remain shaped by gender stereotypes embedded in curricular content, revealing tensions between coeducational intentions and situated practices. The study demonstrates that grouping in PE is not gender-neutral but a strategic pedagogical site where gender hierarchies may be reproduced, negotiated, or challenged. By examining teachers’ decision-making, the study shows how this pedagogical practice implements coeducational ideals and reveals the tensions between equity goals and gendered assumptions about ability, participation, and curricular content.