Attitudes of secondary school students towards physical culture, physical education lessons and exercises

Abstract

Introduction: Forming positive attitudes of students towards physical culture is the most important task of the school and the physical education teacher. The aim of the study was to determine the attitudes of secondary school students towards physical culture, PE lessons and exercises. Material and methods: The research was conducted in the school year 2015/2016 among secondary school students in the Niepołomice commune. A total of 238 students were examined, including 103 girls and 135 boys. The basic research method was a diagnostic survey and the tool was the questionnaire to study youth attitudes towards physical culture by S. Strzyżewski. Results: The research showed an average level of students’ attitudes towards physical culture. Most students (61.4%) would participate in physical education lessons, even if they were optional. A large group of respondents (50.4%) believe that it would be necessary to increase the number of physical education hours at school. Boys enjoyed exercise more often than girls. They also felt a greater need to play ball games. Conclusions: Students’ attitudes towards physical culture, PE lessons and physical exercises were satisfying. The gender of the respondents differentiated the results in many areas where the percentages were higher in boys. It would be advisable to involve more physical education teachers in forming students’ desirable attitudes towards physical culture.