Characteristics of enjoyment of physical activity by gender and favorability of physical education classes

Abstract

Problem statement: The goal of Japanese physical education classes is to develop the qualities and abilities needed to become familiar with sports throughout life. Therefore, the objective is to promote health maintenance and physical fitness based on enjoyment of physical activities. There are multiple factors that contribute to the enjoyment of physical education, and these factors differ by gender and the level of liking for physical education. Approach: A questionnaire was administered to 144 fifth-and sixth-grade students (ages 11-12). According to the favorability of physical education, participants were divided into two groups: liking or not liking physical activities. Factor analysis was conducted for each group according to gender and favorability of physical education. Purpose: To clarify the factors contributing to enjoyment of physical education among students and to analyze the difference between these factors according to gender and favorability of physical education. Results: The factors "challenge," "competition," and "achievement" were interpreted overall. The results infer that participants enjoy physical education because of the challenge of setting goals and for being able to achieve those. In addition, a factor of "exhilaration" was interpreted. Hence, it can be inferred that they feel enjoyment from feeling better due to the physiological effects of physical activity. Among the girls, the "Spectating/discovering" factor was interpreted which meant that they found enjoyment not only in their own physical activities, but also in activities that involve thinking, such as seeing, supporting, and knowing. In addition, the "Communication" factor was interpreted by the group with low favorability of physical education, and it was found that they felt enjoyment in the context of interacting with others. Conclusions: The results showed that the enjoyment of physical activity differs depending on various characteristics such as gender and favorability of physical activities. This could be an important point to be considered during the development of physical education classes in future.