2026/02/12 by Ylva Bjereld, Layal Kasselias Wiltgren, Robert Thornberg · 1 voice · 1 citation
Health Professions · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Educational Environments and Student Outcomes #Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports #Physical Education and Pedagogy
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/13573322.2026.2629498
openalex publication_date 2026/02/12 · openalex created_date 2026/02/13 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/18
The changing room for physical education (PE) is a distinctive space, markedly different from all other spaces within a school. While students are required to use the changing room during PE, previous research has identified it as one of the spaces where students feel unsafe and where the risk of bullying is higher compared to other school settings. Despite this, students’ experiences in changing rooms have received relatively little attention in prior research, and the field lacks comprehensive reviews, making it difficult to gain an overview of existing knowledge. This study presents a scoping review, with the aim to map the current literature on students’ experiences in changing rooms, summarize key findings, and identify gaps in the research. This scoping review was conducted through literature searches in four international databases. A total of 193 unique publications were identified and screened, of which 25 were included in the final sample. The findings highlight that changing rooms are not merely functional spaces for changing clothes and showering; they are deeply embedded within social, emotional, and cultural dynamics that shape students’ sense of safety, belonging, and identity, and serve as spaces where students learn about social norms. While many students navigate these changing processes without significant difficulty, a notable proportion of students, particularly girls and gender minority students, face considerable challenges related to privacy, exposure, and peer interactions. Certain aspects of the changing room experience have received limited attention in previous research. Notably, no studies have used quantitative longitudinal designs or mixed-methods approaches combining qualitative and quantitative data. This absence limits the ability to identify causal relationships, examine long-term effects, and validate findings across different data sources. Furthermore, the existing literature reveals a substantial gap in research focusing on students under the age of 10 and in examining gender and age differences.