Characteristics of Young Learners’ Psychological Well-Being and Self-Esteem in Physical Education Lessons

Abstract

Research background and hypothesis. The learners experience stress and anxiety at school because of bullying,
and routine stressors are perceived as the dangerous ones. Therefore, they even do not want to go to school. Young
learners’ psychological well-being and self-esteem is good, and the children experience positive emotions in physical
education lessons.
Research aim. The aim of the research was to analyze young learners’ self-esteem and psychological well-being
in physical education classes.
Research methods. Young learners’ self-esteem and psychological well-being in physical education lessons
were analyzed in Klaipėda city schools using an anonymous questionnaire survey method.
Research results. Summarizing the research results of learners’ psychological well-being, it can be noted that
psychological well-being of 41.0% of learners in physical education lessons was good or very good. Analysis of
the results of young learners’ self-esteem in physical education lessons showed that 41.0% of learners estimated
themselves as the average ones.
Discussion and conclusions. Although young learners like attending physical education lessons, and they find
the lessons easy, interesting, pleasant, good and useful, they feel unsafe in physical education lessons because they
suffer from other children’s bullying. There were cases when they did not want to go to physical education lessons
at all.

Keywords: bullying, stress and anxiety, reluctance to go to school.