Psychosocial Correlates of the Need for Physical Education and Sports in High School

Abstract

Problem statement: Sports and movement activities play an important role in the harmonious development of children; Special attention should be paid to the factors influencing their involvement in sportive activities. The aim of this study was related to identifying possible psychosocial correlates of the need for physical education and sports in Romanian society and increasing awareness on the importance of sports in everyday life. Approach: 1100 high school students from the North-Eastern part of Romania answered a series of questionnaires that measured level of sports and movement appreciation, passion for sport, leisure and systematic sport practices, attitude towards bullying, instrumental and final values and, several socio-demographic variables: gender, parents’ level of education, type of high school attended and bullying. Results: The data showed that sport is more associated to boys, to students with low socioeconomic status and, to students attending centrally-located high schools; students who are passionate about sports manifest a negative attitude towards bullying. Conclusion: The results emphasized the need to reconsider Romanian academic curricula in order to stimulate competition activities in schools and to increase the number of sportive clubs and associations.