Abstract

The article deals with the attitude of 3rd and 4th form pupils towards classes of physical education, their physical activity and factors determining this physical activity. A comparison of physical activity between girls and Boys, urban and countryside children is presented. The methods used: Meta analysis. Qualitative methods: interviews with primary school teachers, parents, and primary schoolchildren. Quantitative methods: inquiry in the form of questionnaires and analysis of the research results. The mathematical analysis of research data was accomplished while applying the SPSS 10.0 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) computer software for Windows. The research results revealed that the physical activity of 3rd and 4th form pupils is determined by teachers, parents and other pupils’ attitude to their physical activity, knowledge of how physical activity influences their patterning health, modelling of the physical education lesson, health of students, and timetable. Respondents’ answers to the questions of the questionnaire state that the attitude to physical activity of all the pupils is generally positive. Boys spend more time than girls in front of the computer an weekends. Boys also ride a bicycle more often at their leisure time. They also play with computers at their leisure time more often than girls. Teachers’ and family members’ positive attitude to physical activity and their personal example have a direct relation to the agility of the pupils. Positive and stimulating attitude of the teachers and parents to physical activity and their own example determine children’s attitude and their way of living most strongly. It is estimated that the majority of pupils’ parents do not do sports (of 62.9% girls and of 55.3% boys). More than half (55.8%) of pupils spend Easter in the passive way. At Easter students would like to do sports with their parents, most of all pupils ride a bike (66.8 %), swim (60.5%), ski (55.3%), play basketball (44.7%). Pupils in general like doing sports. The most popular activities of the primary schoolchildren: riding a skateboard, running and team games. Teachers should pay more attention to the protection and strengthening of good health of their children and they should give less homework so that pupils would be able to spend more time to satisfy their physical activity needs. When shaping a positive attitude of primary schoolchildren to the physical activity, the attitude of other people and the impact of mass media are also important. Both urban and countryside pupils would like to know about the influence of physical exercises to their health from their parents (69.9% urban pupils, 50.5% countryside pupils), teachers (55.9% urban, 45.4% countryside), television (52.7% urban, 41.2% countryside), press (36.6% urban, 21.6% countryside), radio (30.1% urban, 19.6% countryside), friends (2.1% urban, 2.1 % countryside), coach (3.2% urban, 1.0% countryside). Verf.-Referat