Structural Relationships Between Physical Education Course Happiness, Peer Relationships, and School Satisfaction: A Mediation Model Analysis

Akarsu M., İlbak İ., Güllü M., Akarsu Z., Çelik T., Pavlović R., ...Daha Fazla

International Journal of Sport Studies for Health, cilt.9, sa.4, ss.1-11, 2026 (Scopus)

Özet

Objective:The emotional and social processes students experience in school life, beyond their  academic  performance,  are  fundamental  components  of  their  overall  well-being. Physical education classes provide a unique learning environment with opportunities for positive  emotions,  social  interaction,  and  peer  relationships,  contributing  to  students’ broader  school  experiences.  However,  the  social  processes  underlying  the  association between happiness experienced in physical education classes and school satisfaction remain insufficiently understood. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between physical education  course  happiness  and  school  satisfaction  among  middle  school  students  and investigated whether peer relationships statistically mediated this association.Methods and Materials: We used a correlational design with 614 volunteer students aged 10–15  years  from  four  middle  schools  in  Malatya,  Türkiye.  Physical  education  course happiness  was  specified  as  the  predictor,  school  satisfaction  as  the  outcome,  and  peer relationships as the mediator.Findings: The findings revealed significant positive direct associations between physical education course happiness and peer relationships (β = .268, p≤.001) and between physical education course happiness and school satisfaction (β = .124, p≤.001),  as  well  as  a significant positive association between peer relationships and school satisfaction (β = .462, p≤.001).  Furthermore,  the  indirect  association  between  physical  education  course happiness and school satisfaction through peer relationships was statistically significant (β = .124, p≤.001), while the total association was also positive and significant (β = .248, p ≤.001). The proposed model explained 25.9% of the variance in school satisfaction.Conclusion:These  findings  indicate  that  greater  happiness  in  physical  education  is associated with higher school satisfaction both directly and indirectly through more positive peer relationships. Given the cross-sectional correlational design, these pathways shouldbe interpreted as statistical associations rather than evidence of causal relationships.