Physical activity, educational achievement self-efficacy in different fields and their interrelationships among Lithuanian and Polish students

Abstract

The aim of research was to establish and compare the correlation between Lithuanian and Polish pupils in different fields of physical activity, educational achievements and self-efficacy. The participants were 543 Polish and Lithuanian students aged 16-18. The respondents were given a questionnaire consisting of three parts. The first part included questions about pupils’ gender, age, class, school, learning achievements - the last semester and an overall average of all grades of subjects, and basing on it students were divided into four quartiles. The second part of the questionnaire consisted of questions about students’ physical activity, subjective physical activity and physical capacity and intensity. The third part was intended to determine students’ self-efficacy in nine areas. The statements compiled using Albert Bandura self-efficacy scales (Self-efficacy scales, Bandura, 2006). During the research it was determined that 58.2% of boys and 38.6% of girls were physically active. Boys who had excellent learning achievements were more physically active than others. However, girls who had bad learning achievements were physically more active than excellent, good and average (p < 0.05). Research showed that in total among the respondents 25.2% of pupils were studying in the excellent, and 26.0% were bad students. In most cases a higher level of self-efficacy was owned by the youngest (16 years), physically active and having a good average of learning achievement respondents. Students have higher level of self-efficacy, if they have high subjective exercise capacity and physical activity had a higher intensity and long duration (p < 0.05). An analysis of the frequency of students’ FA, FAterm learning achievement and self-efficacy in various areas of correlation analysis, the more statistically significant correlations were established among the students from Lithuania. It showed that the higher the level of self-efficacy have those pupils who are more and more engaged in physical activity, and have better learning outcomes (p < 0.05). It was established that boys are more physically active than girls. Boys, who had excellent learning achievements, were physically more active, but between girls physically active were those who had bad learning achievements. The results show that students living in Lithuania statistically significantly feel stronger and more confident almost in all areas of self-efficacy. Keywords: physical activity, educational achievements, and self-efficacy. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15823/sm.2015.24