Investigation of sports high school and science high school students' attitudes towards physical education and sports course and social intelligence levels; the case of Elaziğ province

The purpose of this study is to compare the attitudes toward physical education and sports classes as well as the levels of social intelligence among students attending science high schools and sports high schools. The study adopts a qualitative approach, employing a descriptive survey model. It was conducted at Science and Sports high schools in Elazığ. A personal information form was developed utilizing the Physical Education Class Attitude Scale and the Tromso Social Intelligence Scale. Hypotheses of the study were tested using the SPSS 23.0 program. Descriptive statistics such as Mann-Whitney U for pairwise comparisons, Kruskal-Wallis H for two or more comparisons, and normal distribution test (Kolmogorov-Smirnov) were utilized in data analysis. Additionally, descriptive statistics including arithmetic mean, standard deviation, N%, and normal distribution test were applied. The LSD test was employed for pairwise comparisons to ascertain significant differences between groups. The significance level for tests was set at 0.05. According to the results of the study, it is observed that 53.7% (337 individuals) of the students are female, while 46.32% (290 individuals) are male. Regarding grade distribution, 14.4% are in the 9th grade, 36% in the 10th grade, 23.9% in the 11th grade, and 25.7% in the 12th grade. Moreover, 83.4% of the students attend Science High School, while 16.6% attend Sports High School. Based on demographic data, the Mann-Whitney U test results indicate no significant difference in the attitude towards physical education classes based on gender (p < 0.05), while a statistically significant difference is found between the dimensions of the Social Intelligence Scale (p < 0.05). Similarly, according to the high school variable, the Mann-Whitney U test results reveal a statistically significant difference between the attitude towards physical education classes (p < 0.05) and the dimensions of the Social Intelligence Scale (p < 0.05). Regarding the mothers' education levels, no statistically significant difference is found in social intelligence levels (χ2 = 0.000, p > 0.05). However, based on the fathers' occupations, a statistically significant difference is observed between the occupations and the attitudes towards physical education classes (χ2 = 0.003, p < 0.05), while no significant difference is found in social intelligence levels (χ2 = 0.000, p > 0.05). In terms of income levels, a statistically significant difference is detected between income levels and the attitudes towards physical education classes (χ2 = 0.003, p < 0.05), but no significant difference is found in social intelligence levels (χ2 = 0.000, p > 0.05). The study indicates that students attending sports high schools have a more positive outlook on physical education and sports classes compared to those attending science high schools. In conclusion, the findings emphasize the importance of considering students' interests in social intelligence and physical education classes when making educational preferences.