Relationship between Physical Activity, Physical Literacy Elements, and Gender among Senior Students

The aim of research is to assess the relationship between physical activity, Physical Literacy (PL) and gender among senior students. The research was conducted in 2022 in Lithuania with five city schools. Research participants were selected using a convenience sampling method: grade 10 to 12 (n=287) students 148 boys and 139 girls. A questionnaire survey was used for data collection: Portuguese Physical Literacy Questionnaire for Adolescents (PPLA-Q) to assess the psychological domain of PL (motivation, self-confidence, emotional and physical regulation); Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity (RAPA) Questionnaire - RAPA1 part, which allows to assess the level of physical activity. After analysing the psychological aspects of PL related to physical activity by gender, the obtained results suggest that boys’ motivation for physical activity, self-confidence, emotional stability, assessment of physical limits score higher compared to the group of girls (p<0.01). PA motivation has a strong positive correlation with self-confidence (p<0.01) and a moderate correlation with physical regulation (p<0.01). Physical regulation has statistically significantly correlated with self-confidence (p<0.01) and better emotional regulation (p<0.01). Statistically significant differences by gender were found with all indicators of the psychological domain: PA motivation, self-confidence, emotional regulation, and physical regulation. Mean ranks of boys were higher in all variables; however, the major differences were found in the areas of self-confidence and physical regulation. PA had a direct correlation with all psychological PL elements (PA motivation, self-confidence, emotional regulation, physical regulation) and an inverse correlation with gender.