A comparison of female high school students' attitudes towards physical education and sports lessons and an examination of their youth leadership characteristics

This study was conducted with the aim of comparing the attitudes of female high school students towards physical education and sports lessons and examining them in terms of youth leadership characteristics. The study utilized the Physical Education and Sports Attitude Scale and the Youth Leadership Characteristics Scale. The population of the research consisted of female students in high schools located in Aydın Province. The sample of the study included a total of 456 participants, with 245 students from Imam Hatip High Schools and 211 students from Private High Schools. The data were collected through a questionnaire comprising three parts: the first part included demographic information, the second part contained the Physical Education and Sports Attitude Scale, and the third part consisted of the Youth Leadership Characteristics Scale. The obtained data were analyzed using the SPSS 21.0 program on a computer. Descriptive statistical analyses (arithmetic mean, standard deviation, median, mode, frequency, and percentage), Student t-test, One-Way ANOVA, and Pearson Correlation test were used for data evaluation. The Post Hoc LSD test was also employed. The independent variables of the research were individuals' characteristics, while the dependent variables were the scores from the Personal Characteristics and Youth Leadership Characteristics Scale and the Physical Education and Sports Attitude Scale. According to the study, the average score of female students' attitude towards physical education and sports was found to be 3.52±0.80, indicating an above-average attitude towards these subjects. The average score of the Youth Leadership Characteristics Scale was 3.36±0.39, indicating a moderate level of youth leadership characteristics among the students. Additionally, it was observed that students whose mothers had completed high school education had significantly higher scores in the Communication Skills Subscale, Group Skills Subscale, and Youth Leadership Characteristics Scale compared to students whose mothers had graduated from university (p<0.05). Similarly, students who had experience in leadership roles such as management, presidency, and captaincy had significantly higher scores in the Group Skills Subscale and Youth Leadership Characteristics Scale compared to those who did not have such experiences (p<0.05). Moreover, there was a positive and weak level of relationship (p<0.05) between students' attitudes towards physical education and sports and their scores in the Communication Skills Subscale, Group Skills Subscale, Trusting and Being Trustworthy Subscale, Decision-Making Skills Subscale, Problem-Solving Skills Subscale, and Responsibility Subscale. Additionally, there was a positive and moderate level of relationship (p<0.05) between students' attitudes towards physical education and sports and their scores in the Group Skills Subscale. Keywords: Female Student, High School, Leadership, Physical Education.