Research on attitudes toward physical activity and happiness orientation in secondary school students

This study sought to determine the correlation between attitudes toward physical activity and happiness orientation in secondary school students. Sample of the study comprised a total of 459 secondary school students, 210 male (45.8%) and 249 female (54.2%), receiving education in different secondary schools in Bitlis and Ağrı provinces in Eastern Anatolia Region. The researchers designed the descriptive study based on a correlational analysis technic. In order to collect the data, the researchers used "The Attitude toward Physical Activity Scale", developed by Yıldızer, Korur, Yüksel and Demirhan (2019) and "The Happiness Orientations Scale", developed by Peterson, Park, & Seligman (2005) and adapted into Turkish by Sarıçam and Canatan (2015). In analysis of the study data, the researchers used the SPSS 22.0 package program. In the data analysis related to the study, the researchers primarily calculated the skewness and kurtosis values. As these values ranged from -2 to +2, the researchers used parametric test technics related to the data. The researchers used the independent samples t-test in comparing two independent variables and the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) in comparing more than two independent variables. In order to measure the direction and intensity of the correlation between the data, they used the Pearson's Correlation analysis. In addition, they included descriptive statistics findings related to the study variables. As a result of the analyses, the researchers determined significant differences in total scores of the students who took part in the study according to the level of family monthly income variable of the Attitude toward Physical Activity Scale and the class and maternal education level variables of the Happiness Orientations Scale, according to the answers of the students. Moreover, the researchers determined significant differences in the love, socialization and benefit subscales of the Attitude toward Physical Activity Scale and in the meaning of life, enjoying life and life occupation subscales of the Happiness Orientations Scale, according to the gender, class, maternal education level, paternal education level and level of family monthly income variables. In addition, according to the correlation analysis conducted, they determined a moderately significant correlation between the attitudes toward physical activity and happiness orientation of the students in a positive direction. As a consequence, it is possible to state that attitudes of the secondary school students toward physical activity were positively correlated with their happiness orientation.