Evaluation of Students’ Physical Fitness Levels in Physical Education and Sports Classes Along With Their Academic Achievement and Predisposition to Physical Education Before and After The Pandemic

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 8 Sayı: 1, 14 - 24, 28.03.2025

Fatih Demirhan , Aziz Güçlüöver

https://doi.org/10.38021/asbid.1575099

Öz

This research focuses on evaluating the changes in physical fitness levels, academic performance, and attitudes towards physical education among 8th-grade middle school students, comparing data collected before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The research encompasses two different groups of students studying in Ankara, totaling 80 students with 40 girls and 40 boys during the 2017-2018 and 2020-2021 academic years. The FITNESSGRAM test battery was utilized to assess physical fitness, including metrics such as shuttle runs, flexibility tests, push-ups, sit-ups, and body mass index (BMI). Academic performance was gauged using the students' 8th-grade grade point averages. The Physical Education Lesson Inclination Scale (PELI), originally created by Hilland et al. (2009) and translated into Turkish by Öncü et al. (2015), was employed to evaluate students' attitudes and self-efficacy regarding physical education. The results indicate significant changes in students' physical and academic performances during the pandemic period. In the post-pandemic period, significant increases were observed in students' shuttle run, flexibility, and push-up counts, while their GPA and PELI scores also increased. There was a minor reduction in BMI values. However, an analysis of the performance changes between female and male students before and after the pandemic revealed no statistically significant gender-based differences. These findings suggest that the pandemic period had varied effects on students' physical activities and academic achievements. Socioeconomic status, parental education level, and other confounding variables are thought to play a significant role in this relationship. The findings suggest that the influence of physical activity on academic performance can vary between genders, with aerobic fitness in particular showing a potential positive effect on academic success.

Anahtar Kelimeler

COVID-19, physical fitness, academic achievement, Physical Education Lesson Inclination Scale, middle school students

Pandemi Öncesi ve Sonrası Beden Eğitimi ve Spor Derslerinde Öğrencilerin Fiziksel Uygunluk Düzeyleri ile Akademik Başarıları ve Beden Eğitimine Yatkınlıklarının(Beyö) Değerlendirilmesi

Öz

Bu çalışma, COVID-19 pandemisi öncesinde ve sonrasında ortaokul 8. sınıf öğrencilerinin fiziksel uygunluk düzeyleri, akademik başarıları ve beden eğitimi derslerine olan yatkınlıklarını inceleyerek karşılaştırmayı amaçlamaktadır. Araştırma, 2017-2018 ve 2020-2021 eğitim-öğretim yıllarında Ankara'da bir ortaokulda öğrenim gören, 40 kız ve 40 erkek olmak üzere toplam 80 öğrenciyi kapsamaktadır. Fiziksel uygunluk düzeyleri, FITNESSGRAM test bataryası kullanılarak ölçülmüş ve öğrencilerin mekik koşusu, esneklik testi, şınav, mekik hareketi ve vücut kitle indeksi (BMI) değerleri kaydedilmiştir. Akademik başarı, öğrencilerin 8. sınıf not ortalamaları ile değerlendirilmiştir. Öğrencilerin beden eğitimi derslerine karşı tutumlarını ve öz yeterliklerini değerlendirmek için, Hilland ve diğerleri (2009) tarafından oluşturulan ve Öncü ve diğerleri (2015) tarafından Türkçeye adapte edilen Beden Eğitimi Dersi Yatkınlık Ölçeği (BEYÖ) kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen sonuçlar, pandemi döneminde öğrencilerin fiziksel ve akademik performanslarında önemli değişiklikler olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Pandemi sonrası dönemde, öğrencilerin mekik koşusu, esneklik ve şınav sayılarında anlamlı artışlar gözlemlenirken, not ortalaması ve BEYÖ puanında da artışlar görülmüştür. BMI değerlerinde ise hafif bir düşüş gözlenmiştir. Ancak, kadın ve erkek öğrenciler arasında pandemi öncesi ve sonrası performans değişiklikleri incelendiğinde, cinsiyet bazında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı farklılıklar bulunamamıştır. Bu bulgular, pandemi döneminin öğrencilerin fiziksel aktiviteleri ve akademik başarıları üzerinde farklı etkiler yarattığını göstermektedir. Sosyoekonomik durum, ebeveyn eğitim düzeyi gibi karıştırıcı değişkenlerin bu ilişkide önemli rol oynadığı düşünülmektedir. Sonuçlar, fiziksel aktivite düzeyinin akademik başarı üzerindeki etkisinin cinsiyete göre farklılık gösterebileceğini ve fiziksel aktivitenin özellikle aerobik kapasitenin akademik başarıyı olumlu yönde etkileyebileceğini ortaya koymaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

COVID-19, fiziksel uygunluk, akademik başarı, beden eğitimi yatkınlık ölçeği, ortaokul öğrencileri

Kaynakça

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