How do students perceive Physical Education classes according to gender? An analysis of the motivational climate, sports motivation and the importance given to the subject.

In recent years there has been an increase in the number of diseases at an early age, including type II diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. These diseases are closely related to childhood obesity, one of the major public health problems of the 21st century. This change may be due to a settlement of physical inactivity and sedentarism in today's young population. One of the ways to combat these devastating data would be to promote the practice of sports and the creation of healthy habits in childhood and adolescence. The main objective of the present study is to know the role of sex in the importance given by students to Physical Education (IUPEP), the Motivational Climate generated by the teacher and Sports Motivation, as well as in the relationship between the above variables. The sample analysed is made up of 210 students of Compulsory Secondary Education and Baccalaureate from a school in the Valencian Community. The age of the participants is between 12 and 18 years old (M=14.06 +/- 1.59), 52.9% of the sample being children and 73.2% practicing extracurricular physical activity. The results show that boys score significantly higher on IUPEP. The correlation between the Motivational Climate Task (MC Task) and Motivational Climate Ego (CM Ego) is significant and positive only in girls, as is the relationship between Amotivation and Extrinsic Motivation. However, the relationship between Amotivation and Intrinsic Motivation and between IUPEP and Amotivation is significant and negative only in children.