Factors influencing attitudes of Hong Kong secondary school students toward physical education

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential influential factors of Hong Kong secondary students' attitudes toward physical education. The Physical Education Questionnaire was completed by 1,172 students, selected proportionally from four main geographic districts in Hong Kong. This instrument measures how physical education is perceived concerning the values, the status, the atmosphere, the experiences, the social aspects, the teaching method and the PE teachers. Mean ratings on these aspects from 3.43 to 3.92 on a 5-point scale, indicating that the students generally liked physical education, but they liked some aspects more that others. Employing analysis of variance techniques revealed that school year, gender and perceived skill competence were significant factors influencing students' attitudes toward physical education. These findings have pedagogical implications for the teaching strategies of physical education. Copyright © 2003 Department of Physical Education, Hong Kong Baptist University.