Author(s): LIU, F.M., ZHOU, Y.T., GE, Y.J., Institution: HUNAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, Country: CHINA, Abstract-ID: 2432

Introduction
After-School physical activity services in China aim to promote youth development. While current research has mainly focused on urban areas, its implementation in schools serving left-behind children (LBCs) in rural regions faces significant structural resistance. While existing research acknowledges resource disparities, few studies have holistically examined the interplay among material, cultural, and interpersonal barriers that impede these programs' developmental function from a multi-stakeholder perspective. This study explores the multifaceted barriers to implementing services in schools serving rural LBCs, focusing on interactions among left-behind children, headmasters, and after-school PE teachers.
Method
Guided by critical realism, this qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews with 60 participants (49 LBCs aged 9-12, 5 headmasters, and 6 after-school PE teachers) recruited from rural LBCs’ schools in China. Focus groups were conducted with children, and individual interviews were conducted with teachers. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, following Braun and Clarke's six-phase approach, with collaborative theme development across a multidisciplinary research team.
Results
Three core themes were identified. First, "Some kids are just naturally pushy" captured a hostile peer environment characterised by physical aggression, social exclusion, verbal abuse, and shaming. Second, "That PE teacher is properly fierce" highlights an authoritarian management style driven by teacher burnout. This includes physical punishment, dismissive attitudes, high-pressure behavioural controls, and portraying teachers as figures of fear. Third, "It's imperative tasks, and the students just aren't interested" encompasses structural deficits, including mandatory participation, shortages of educational resources, academic pressure, safety concerns, and a lack of course diversity.
Conclusions
The findings highlight a worrying cycle in which a lack of resources leads to strict management, which in turn fosters peer hostility. This study reveals a key contradiction: administrative requirements for participation often conflict with the deep-rooted value placed on academic success. Additionally, shortages of education resources and teacher burnout tend to normalise punitive approaches that obstruct the service's potential for growth. To truly restore services’ developmental role, research recommends prioritising improving the interpersonal environment, not just filling resource gaps. This will help break down the culture of fear and coercion, setting the stage for meaningful systemic reforms. These insights can guide efforts to better support the overall physical and mental well-being of vulnerable rural children who are left behind.