SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUNG ADOLESCENTS AS PREDICTORS OF PUPILS´ ATTITUDES TOWARDS PHYSICAL EDUCATION
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The studies have shown that physical education in school directly influences physical activity of children in general, as well as adoption of healthy lifestyle (Rikard & Banville, 2006; Subramaniam, & Silverman, 2007; Zeng, Hipscher & Leung, 2011; Kamtsios, 2011; NASPE, 2012; Chatterjee at al. 2013). Consequently, the purpose of this research was to examine the attitudes of early adolescent pupils towards physical education, and determine whether there is a significant difference in their positive attitude towards physical education as a function of gender, age and physical activity during leisure time.
The survey was carried out on a sample of 199 pupils from fifth to eighth grade attending three primary schools on the territory of Novi Sad. Out of the 199 (100%) pupils, 97 (48.7%) of them were males, 102 (51.3%) females. The research was carried out using a questionnaire consisting of two parts. The first part relates to examining the pupils' attitudes towards physical education in school, SATPE (Student's Attitudes Toward Physical Education - Subramaniam & Silverman, 2000). The instrument contained 20 items with a five-point Likert scale, which were grouped in two subscales: enjoyment (affective component) and usefulness (cognitive component) (Đačić et al. 2014). The second part of the questionnaire was designed for the purpose of this research and included questions about gender, grade and physical activity during leisure time.
The obtained and presented results indicate that the attitudes of pupils towards physical education in school are moderately positive, which is in line with findings of the previous research presented in the paper. The results further suggest that there is no statistically significant difference between boys and girls regarding the perception of enjoyment and usefulness of physical education. By analyzing pupils' age (grades attending), the results showed that pupils of higher grades have more negative attitude towards physical education than pupils of lower grades. In addition, statistically significant difference was found in attitudes towards physical education as a function of being involved in sports as extracurricular activities while analyzing the relationship between involvement in sports and physical activities during leisure time and pupils´ attitude towards physical education. The presented results open the perspective for new research that would focus on teacher of physical education as potentially important factor in shaping pupils' attitudes towards physical education and physical activity in general.
Key words: socio-demographic characteristics, physical activity, physical education, attitudes, younger adolescents
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