Ortaokul Öğrencilerinin Beden Eğitimi Dersine Yönelik Algıları Ve Öğretmen Tutumlarının İncelenmesi

Purpose: The primary aim of this study is to conduct an in-depth examination of the views of middle school physical education teachers and students regarding the physical education and sports course. Method: The population of this study consists of 206 physical education and sports teachers (86 female and 120 male) working in public schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in the central districts and towns of Balıkesir during the 2023–2024 academic year, as well as 220 students (117 female and 103 male) enrolled in these schools. To determine whether the data conformed to a normal distribution, the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was applied. Since the obtained p-values were below 0.05, the data were found not to be normally distributed; therefore, percentage and frequency analyses, along with the Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests, were employed. Results: In the student survey, significant differences were identified across various sub-dimensions according to the variables of gender, grade level, and weekly lesson preference. In the teacher survey, significant differences were found across different sub-dimensions based on school facilities, in-service training. Conclusion: The findings indicate that middle school students’ perceptions of physical education differ significantly according to gender, grade level, and their demands regarding the number of weekly course hours. Female students obtained more positive scores in terms of opinions, attitudes, and perceived benefits. The differences observed across grade levels suggest that students’ perceptions of the value of physical education change over time. Among teachers, differences were identified depending on school facilities and in-service training variables; these differences were particularly pronounced among teachers who considered the in-service training they received to be insufficient. Overall, the results indicate that institutional and environmental factors play an important role in shaping perceptions toward physical education classes.