Space, pace and grace – affective room(s) for change

Abstract: The changing room as a transitional space between everyday life and physical activity has been a largely unexplored field, although it is frequented on a weekly basis by pupils in compulsory school and by physically active people in various sport settings. The transition includes potentially vulnerable situations which may cause experiences of affective insecurity and shame. Still changing rooms are prerequisite for physical activity, thus combining two aspects of health: hygiene and physical activity. The aim was to analyse PEH students experience and use of changing rooms. They were particularly relevant in terms both of their own previous experiences and of their future occupation as teachers. The participants were six students attending the PEH programme at a sports university college in Sweden. Semi-structured interviews were used, with a visual approach. Video recordings provided rich and multi-layered data, as the participants were interviewed in the changing room. The method was inspired by short-term ethnography. Using Tomkins’ theory of affect and management scripts, the study shows that the participants experienced and managed the negative affect of shame. Positive affects and macho scripts were also detected. Despite this, they had an overarching good perception due to factors connected to the experience.