Attitudes of Saudi adolescents with and without disabilities toward Physical Education.

The purpose of this study was to examine attitudes of Saudi Arabian students with and without disabilities toward PE. A second purpose was to investigate the effect of grade levels and students' participation in physical activity after school on students' attitudes in PE. Participants were sixth to eighth graders from the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and were between the ages of 11 and 17. Participants for this study were 172 students that included 89 students without disabilities and 83 with disabilities. Students were queried as to personal information and completed the Student Attitudes Toward Physical Education Survey. The results of this study indicated that the overall mean score of attitudes of all participants toward PE was 3.44 on a scale of 1-5, indicating a moderate positive attitude toward PE. In general, students without disabilities had more positive attitudes toward perceived usefulness and enjoyment of physical education than students with disabilities. In addition, eighth grade students had less favorable attitudes toward perceived usefulness and enjoyment of PE than seventh or sixth grade students. Also, students who participated in physical activity outside school showed more positive attitudes toward perceived usefulness and enjoyment of PE than students who did not participate in physical activity outside school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]