Many studies have examined how developmental stage and age affect determining the perception of physical activities in children. However, previous studies have not examined the effect of gender differences on perceptions of exercise. This study focuses on the effects of gender and grade about perceptions toward physical education classes and exercises. The study surveyed a total of 749 students from 6 schools, of these 219 were 3rd graders, 196 were 5th graders and 334 were 7th graders. We conducted questionnaires to determine the perceptions of school children about exercise and PE classes. The differences of perceptions were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis test and post hoc-test. As a result, there was no difference between the groups in boys regarding positive feelings towards exercise, whereas it was already significantly lower in the 5th and the 7th graders compared to the 3rd graders in girls. In addition, it was inferred that girls have a feeling of not-being any good at PE classes in elementary school early in contrast with boys. In conclusion, our results suggested that girls in elementary school dislike exercise from a younger age than boys and that girls have a tendency not to want to exercise in the early years of elementary school.
Differences of Preference in regard to Physical Education Class and Exercise compared between Gender and Grade : A Cross-Sectional Study among Elementary School and Junior High School Students in Sapporo
71-2-a26.pdf (1.4 MB)
