Abstract

The importance of assessment as a defining element in every educational process requires an exploration of the experiences of Chile's future teachers during their school training. This study identifies the meanings, feelings and consequences associated with physical fitness tests in Physical Education. An inductive categorical analysis was generated from a study of 60 narrative accounts of students of different teaching specialities. The results indicated the wide prevalence of physical fitness tests to assess and grade the subject, leading to stress and feelings of anxiety. Students with a low level of physical fitness expressed their frustration, discouragement and insecurity, while some even dropped out of the class under various pretexts. Conversely, the physically fit students who satisfied the required standards found the tests to be both motivating and satisfying. The results indicated that the emotional impact of physical fitness tests for grading Physical Education affects all students, particularly those with low fitness levels, who suffered feelings of frustration and discomfort as a result of their negative experiences in the subject.