The Impact of Starting the Day with Exercise and Sports on the Attitudes Towards Physical Education and Sports

Abstract

The present study aimed to analyze the impact of starting the day with exercise and sports activities on the attitudes of children towards physical education and assess the views of the children, teachers and parents on this application. The study was designed with experimental methodology that included two study groups. Quantitative data were collected from 74 primary school students (36 girls and 38boys), qualitative data were collected from 8 primary school students, 7 primary school teachers and 7 mothers, a total of 22 participants. Attitudes Towards Physical Education and Sports Scale (ATPES), was used to collect the data. The scale was applied as a pre-test to both the study and control groups. After the study group participated in 20 minutes of physical training and sports activities for 12 weeks, the scale was applied as a posttest to each group. After the application, three focus group interviews were conducted with children, teachers and mothers. T-test was used to analyze the quantitative data. The focus group interview audio recordings were analyzed with content analysis, and participant views were interpreted by grouping the views under certain themes. In conclusion, it was determined that the attitudes of study and control group children towards physical education and sports significantly improved between pre-test and post-test applications. Based on the interview findings, it was determined that individuals did not have the habit of regularly engaging in sports, measures should be taken to improve the adoption of these habits by children in early ages, and the participants considered that starting the day with sports activities had positive effects.