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

Mehmet  Akarsu; İsmail İLBAK; Mehmet  Güllü; Zeliha  Akarsu; Talip  Çelik; Ratko  Pavlović; Nikola  Radulović; Ilona  Mihajlović

Authors

Mehmet Akarsu Department of Physical Education and Sports Teaching, Faculty of Sport Sciences, İnönü University, Malatya, Türkiye Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8149-801X
İsmail İLBAK Faculty of Sports Science, İnönü University, Malatya 44280, Türkiye Corresponding Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3364-0990
Mehmet Güllü Department of Physical Education and Sports Teaching, Faculty of Sport Sciences, İnönü University, Malatya, Türkiye Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0930-7178
Zeliha Akarsu Department of Physical Education and Sports Teaching, Faculty of Sport Sciences, İnönü University, Malatya, Türkiye Author https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6386-8837
Talip Çelik Department of Physical Education and Sports Teaching, Faculty of Sport Sciences, İnönü University, Malatya, Türkiye Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3197-4732
Ratko Pavlović Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, University of East Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4007-4595
Nikola Radulović Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad, Serbia Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5214-3762
Ilona Mihajlović Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad, Serbia Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5877-2594

Keywords:

Physical education, School satisfaction, Peer relationships, Positive emotions, Adolescents

Abstract

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: 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.

Results: 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 should be interpreted as statistical associations rather than evidence of causal relationships.