The Effect of a Program of Aerobic Exercises on some Physical and Psychological Variables of Female Secondary Stage Students

Abstract

This study aimed to demonstrate the effect of the aerobic exercises program on body mass index and body circumferences (arm, chest, abdomen, hip, thigh) as a body variable, and on the level of self-esteem and sports activity attitudes as a psychological variable among female secondary stage students. The sample of the study consisted of (10) secondary stage students at Tiberias secondary school for girls in the city of Irbid in Jordan, and the experimental method was used. The implementation of the training program took a period of (8) weeks, three units per week for a period of (60-40) minutes per unit. The self-esteem scale developed by (Zayed, 2011), and the sports activity attitudes scale, which was developed by (Zayed, 2011), in addition to the two scales of mass and perimeters of the body, were employed for the pre-post measurement. Statistical treatments were calculated) arithmetic means, standard deviations, and Wilcoxon test (. The results showed a positive, statistically significant effect of the aerobic exercise program on both the level of self-esteem and sport activity attitudes in favor of post-measurement, in both body mass index and some of body circumferences.  The study recommended applying the aerobic exercise program proposed in this study to the students of the basic classes, to support the school activity on an ongoing basis.