Frequency and characteristics of excuses given by students attending special sports classes of secondary school to avoid participating in physical education class

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this research was to establish possible differences between students enrolled in special sports classes and students in regular classes of secondary schools regarding the frequency and characteristics of excuses they give to not participate in physical education lessons. Methods: The used questionnaire examined the frequency of excuses, genuine and invented reasons for excuses, and activities that students participate in while absent from physical education classes. The sample included 560 secondary school students, of whom 210 students in sports classes and 350 students in regular classes. The significance of stratification variables (type of class, year of schooling, gender, overall academic performance), for the explanation of the frequency of giving excuses to not participate in physical education lessons was determined by ordinal regression analysis and logit function. Results: The most significant individual factors determining the frequency of excused absences from physical education lessons are gender and grade level; female students and fourth-grade male students were most likely to use excuses to get out of physical education lessons. The excuse rate was not significantly higher for students attending special sport classes. The median annual absence from physical education for boys and girls in special sports classes is 1 to 5 and 6 to 10 hours, respectively, which is more than for male students and less than for female students attending regular classes. The rate of excused absences from physical education among students in sports classes did not depend on the sports discipline chosen, or the volume of training and performance in the chosen sport, yet was correlated with gender. Male students have a greater odds ratio for frequent excused absences from physical education class. The most frequent reasons for a student's coming up with an excuse include injuries, illness and studying. Students in sport classes are more likely than their peers in regular classes to stay in the gym and watch, or study other subjects while not participating in physical education lessons. Conclusion: The system of granting excused absences from lessons is too lenient; moreover, teachers provide no substitute activities for students to participate in while absent from physical education lesson. Since in secondary school students attending sports classes, sports-related injuries and overload constitute an important reason for non-participation in physical education, we suggest that health status of these students should be monitored by a school physician.