2009 Volume 32 Issue 2 Pages 11-20
This study focused on school age and gender differences with regard to seven elements (motivation, enjoyment, teamwork, keeping rules or promises, learning, cooperation, and outcomes) that compose physical education classes, and their relationship based on the judgments of junior high and high school students. The aim of the study was to uncover useful findings for progressive physical education classes. Data for analysis of the seven elements listed above was collected from 1442 students. Junior high school students showed significantly higher values for motivation, enjoyment, teamwork, and learning factors than high school students. Males put a higher value on the enjoyment factor than did females for both school ages, although females put a higher value on teamwork, keeping rules or promises and maintaining cooperation. In comparing junior high school and high school students, significant differences could be observed for the following factor pairings: enjoyment and motivation; enjoyment and teamwork; enjoyment and keeping rules; enjoyment and learning; enjoyment and cooperation; enjoyment and outcomes; cooperation and outcomes. Factors other than enjoyment, keeping rules or promises, cooperation and outcomes were of higher value to junior high school students of both genders. In addition, correlations between enjoyment and keeping rules or promises as well as between cooperation and outcomes were higher for males than females at the junior high school age. From the above, the following was concluded: junior high school students place more importance on motivation, enjoyment, teamwork, and learning factors than do high school students. Females place more importance on teamwork, keeping rules or promises, and cooperation factors than males. Males place more importance on the enjoyment factor regardless of their school age, or gender. Factors regarding close relationships vary both by school age and gender.
