Examining the levels of sportsmanship behaviors of secondary school students in physical education lesson (Denizli province sample)

This study was conducted to examine the sportsmanship behaviors of high school students during physical education classes. The research is a quantitative study focused on a sample comprising 1295 female and 826 male students from various classes of 33 high schools in Denizli province. The study utilized the 'Physical Education Class Sportsmanship Behavior Scale developed by Koç in 2013 to measure the frequency of students' sportsmanship behaviors. This scale consists of two main factors: "Displaying Appropriate Behaviors" and "Avoiding Inappropriate Behaviors" totaling 22 items. Higher scores on this scale indicate better levels of sportsmanship. Findings indicate that students generally exhibited appropriate sportsmanship behaviors based on their average score of 42.44 on the Displaying Appropriate Behaviors subscale. Their high average score of 46.30 on the Avoiding Inappropriate Behaviors subscale suggests that students demonstrate appropriate sportsmanship behaviors. Statistical analyses, including Mann-Whitney U tests and Kruskal Wallis tests, were conducted to examine differences in sportsmanship behaviors based on various demographic variables such as gender, grade level, school type, parental education, and participation in school teams or sports clubs. The results reveal significant differences in sportsmanship scores based on gender, with females generally displaying higher levels of appropriate sportsmanship behaviors. Females tend to exhibit higher levels of sensitivity and empathy Key Words: Sportsmanship behavior, sportsmanship, physical education.