Self-Concept and Intention to Be Physically Active in High School Students

Self-concept refers to the evaluation of individual qualities, attributes, and characteristics that are comparable to those of others. Physical activity has a positive impact on self-concept. Adolescents spend a significant amount of time at school; physical education can have benefits for their social, physical, and psychological development.

Method. A total of 614 second- and third-year high school students enrolled in physical education classes participated in the study. These students came from private (n = 497) and public (n = 115) schools in northern Mexico. Of these, 295 were boys and the rest were girls. During physical education class, the Self-Description Questionnaire for Adolescents (SDQ-II) and the Measure of Intention to Be Physically Active (MIFA) in its Spanish version were administered.

Results. Participants had moderate negative and positive general self-concepts (M=3.39, SD=1.55; M=3.30, SD=1.38, respectively), and moderately high intentions to be physically active (M=3.98, SD=1.01). The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for normality of the data distribution showed that the variables deviated from normality (statistic between .071 and .15; p=.00), so bivariate correlation analysis was performed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Negative general self-concept was negatively associated with the intention to be physically active outside of physical education class (ρ = -.15; p=.00), and this relationship was weak, while positive self-concept did not show a significant relationship (ρ = .03; p=.46). Furthermore, the relationship between negative self-concept and intention was only found to be significant for those studying in private schools (ρ = -.20; p=.00), not for those in public schools (ρ= -.001; p=.99).

Conclusion: In this sample of high school students participating in physical education classes, a higher negative self-concept among students was associated with a lower intention to engage in physical activity outside of physical education class. This was more pronounced among students from private schools.