Barriers to and enablers of physical education engagement among school students aged 6–16 years: a scoping review

Physical education (PE) offers a valuable opportunity to reduce physical inactivity and promote lifelong healthy habits among children and adolescents. The benefits of interventions in PE largely depend on students’ engagement with lessons. However, the mechanisms driving engagement and the behaviour change techniques (BCTs) involved remain underexplored. This scoping review, conducted in accordance with Joanna Briggs Institute methodological guidelines, aimed to map the mechanisms underlying engagement in mainstream PE among 6- to 16-year-olds in high- and upper-middle-income countries. A systematic search in CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science was completed, up to March 2025. Across 98 eligible studies, key barriers (e.g., negative peer interactions, limited teacher training, traditional curricula) and enablers (e.g., need-supportive teaching, positive peer relationships, access to resources) were coded using the 26 mechanisms of action from the Theory and Techniques Tool. Second, this tool guided the identification of potentially relevant BCTs associated with the most important mechanisms, e.g. social support, social comparison, instruction on how to perform behaviour, behavioural practice/rehearsal, graded tasks, information about others’ approval. These findings lay the groundwork for future interventions designed to enhance student engagement in PE by identifying promising behavioural strategies and key mechanisms.