Graduation Semester and Year
2020
Language
English
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Psychology
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Lauri A Jensen-Campbell
Second Advisor
Jared B Kenworthy
Abstract
While physical education (PE) classes and sports teams create an opportunity to increase overweight and obese students’ interest in physical activity (Price, 1990), these are settings in which such students encounter stigma from PE teachers and coaches (Bauer et al., 2004). Weight bias predicts negative psychological (Eisenberg et al., 2003) and physical (Hunger & Yomiyama, 2014) outcomes in children and adolescents, which could be offset by positive behaviors related to growth mindset in teachers. The current study examined weight bias in elementary PE teachers as well as the influence of teacher sport-related mindset on weight bias. PE teachers (N = 286) completed a survey assessing personality, demographics, and sport-related mindset. They viewed one of eight profiles of a 10-year-old student before rating the student’s motivation, success, and personality. The profiles differed by gender, body mass index (BMI: normal vs. obese), and health habits and fitness test scores (healthy vs. unhealthy). PE teachers rated average weight students more favorably than obese students in terms of motivation and laziness. Teachers also rated healthy students as more motivated/successful, more trustworthy/intelligent, and less lazy than unhealthy students. Participants’ own BMI, tenure, and personality characteristics influenced their perceptions of students, particularly those who were obese. Teachers’ sport-related mindset did not play a role in their weight bias. Results highlight the need for future research on weight bias in PE teachers and interventions to reduce such bias.
Keywords
Weight bias, Growth mindset, Physical education, Children, Adolescent
Disciplines
Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Heller, Abigail Caroline, "Weight Bias and Mindset in Physical Educators" (2020). Psychology Theses. 130.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/psychology_theses/130
Comments
Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington