Engaging adolescent girls in physical education (PE) in secondary schools has been a long-standing challenge worldwide, despite numerous research and policy efforts. We investigated this challenge using a new approach based on affect theory and co-design with virtual reality (VR): 42 girls took part in co-design workshops where they re-imagined how their PE lessons could be through virtual fashion design and the SIMS 4 video game. We found that VR co-design gave agency to girls and transformed the way they felt about PE. Allowing girls to design their own virtual PE clothing made them feel more comfortable to do PE, and allowing them to co-design their own virtual PE environment made them feel more able to participate in school PE lessons. Finally, VR co-design also aided their articulation of wants, needs and relationships in ways that would likely not have been achieved using a more conventional methodology.

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