RATIONAL DECISION TO EXERCISE AND SPORT TYPES AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THAILAND

Abstract

ABSTRACT
The objectives of this study are: 1) to examine the rational decision-making process in selecting exercise forms among secondary school students in Thailand, and 2) to compare the rational decision-making in selecting exercise forms among secondary school students in different regions of Thailand, categorized by gender and grade level. The sample consists of secondary school students in the first semester of the 2024 academic year from 12 schools across 6 regions of Thailand, with 2 provinces per region and 1 school per province, totaling 480 students. The research tool is a questionnaire on rational decision-making in selecting exercise forms among secondary school students in Thailand. Data analysis will be conducted. Data analysis was conducted using frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation statistics. 2) Comparisons were made using one-way ANOVA, and when significant differences were found, Scheffé's post-hoc test was applied for pairwise comparisons. The research results indicated that
1) Students made rational decisions when choosing exercise forms. When considering the average scores in each aspect, it was found that secondary school students in Thailand demonstrated rational decision-making in choosing exercise forms at a "moderate level" in all aspects, except for the health-related reasons, which were rated at a "high level." When categorized by gender, male students showed higher average rational decision-making in all aspects compared to female students. When categorized by grade level, high school students had higher average rational decision-making than middle school students in all aspects, except for decisions influenced by external circumstances, where middle school students scored higher on average.
2) The comparison of rational decision-making in selecting exercise forms, categorized by region, found no statistically significant differences overall or in any specific aspect (F = 1.35, p = 0.23).

Keywords : decision-making, questionnaire, secondary school students