Students' attitudes toward an after-school physical activity programme

Abstract

Though considerable research on student attitudes has been conducted in physical education, little information exists concerning student attitudes toward after-school physical activity programmes. This study assessed students' attitudes toward their after-school physical activity programme located in southwest Texas, USA. Participants included 158 students in grades three to six, with ages ranging from eight to 12 years. They completed a five-item attitude questionnaire drawn from the attitude literature. Twenty students were also randomly selected and interviewed individually. Both the questionnaire and interview data indicated students in this study had positive attitudes toward their after-school physical activity programme. The interview data further revealed that students had positive attitudes primarily because they had fun, played a variety of games, and benefited from participation in the physical activities. Students' attitudes were also examined in relation to their attendance of the programme. No significant relationship was found between the two variables. © 2012, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.