Between curricular promise and school experience: assessment practices and motivation in physical education and health

Abstract

In Chile, Physical Education and Health is a compulsory subject throughout the school trajectory and is curricularly presented as a subject aimed at promoting physical activity and healthy lifestyles. However, this promise coexists with low levels of physical activity and with student experiences that do not always foster a positive relationship with movement. Within this framework, this essay critically examines the role of specific assessment practices in students’ motivation and experiences in Physical Education and Health, positioning the rise in screen time as part of the contemporary sociocultural context rather than as a sufficient explanation of the problem. It is argued that, although the promotion of active habits cannot rest exclusively on schools or on this subject alone, its compulsory status, the tendency to award high grades, and its discursive emphasis on health do not in themselves guarantee adherence, meaningful learning, or educational purpose. On the contrary, certain assessment practices may undermine students’ perceived competence, autonomy, and relational experience, reinforcing logics of performance and exclusion that tension the formative purpose of the subject. Drawing on a dialogue between specialized literature, evidence from the Chilean context, and recent studies on assessment and student experiences, the essay argues for the need to move toward a more inclusive, formative, and curriculum-consistent Physical Education and Health.