Students’ Attitude Toward Physical Education as a School Subject in Senior Secondary Schools in Zamfara State

Student attitudes toward physical education significantly shape engagement, effort, and the long-term adoption of physically active lifestyles. This study investigates attitudes toward physical education among senior secondary school students in Zamfara State, North West Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted, with 280 students from 10 secondary schools across three local government areas completing a validated attitude scale comprising affective, cognitive, and behavioural components. The scale was supplemented with an open-ended section exploring reasons for positive and negative attitudes. Findings indicate that overall attitudes toward physical education are moderately positive, with students valuing its contribution to physical health and stress relief. However, cognitive valuation of physical education as an academically important subject is low, with only 37 percent agreeing that it contributes meaningfully to intellectual development. Female students report more negative affective attitudes than male peers, influenced by concerns about injury, heat exposure, and gendered cultural expectations regarding vigorous outdoor activity. Teacher behaviour, lesson variety, and the perceived relevance of activities are identified as the strongest predictors of positive attitude formation. Students whose schools possess adequate facilities report significantly more positive attitudes across all three components. Recommendations include enhancing teacher-student rapport, diversifying lesson activities, involving students in activity selection, and community engagement to address cultural barriers to female physical education participation. Keywords: student attitudes, physical education, secondary schools, Zamfara State, gender