Investigation of the effect of secondary school students aptitude towards physical education lessons on the frequency of fair play behavior

This research aims to examine the effect of secondary school students' aptitude for Physical Education and Sports (PES) on their display of Fair Play behaviors, using quantitative methods. The research is based on a correlational survey model, a quantitative research method. The sample consists of 499 secondary school students (272 women and 227 men) studying in Ankara during the 2025-2026 academic year, who participated in the research on a voluntary basis. The data collection tools used were the Physical Education Aptitude Scale (BEDYÖ) and the Fair Play Behavior Frequency Scale (FPDSÖ). The obtained data were analyzed using independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Tukey post-hoc test, Pearson correlation analysis, and simple linear regression analysis in the SPSS 22.0 statistical program. Descriptive findings revealed that students exhibited fair play behaviors at a moderate to high level and generally had positive attitudes towards physical education classes. Regarding gender, male students showed higher values and perceived aptitude scores for physical education compared to female students (p<0,05) however, no significant difference was found in the frequency of fair play behaviors based on gender (p>0,05). Students who were licensed athletes showed significantly higher scores than unlicensed students in both aptitude for physical education and fair play behaviors (p<0,05). Pearson correlation analysis findings indicate a positive, low-level, significant relationship between aptitude for physical education and the frequency of exhibiting fair play behaviors. In conclusion, it was observed that the aptitude levels of secondary school students for physical education classes positively but to a limited extent influenced their fair play behaviors; active sports background and family support were found to play a role in strengthening this relationship.