Social perceptions of physical education and sports classes in the cultural imagination of high school students exempt from sports participation

Abstract

This study aims to uncover the social and cultural perceptions of physical education and sports classes among exempt high school students. The researchers employed a descriptive-analytical approach with a random sample of 200 exempt students from four high schools in Boumerdès Province. A questionnaire was used to collect data. The results obtained by the researchers highlighted the following:  - Religious justifications exist for exemptions related to gender mixing and clothing; - Physical education is perceived more negatively than other subjects; - Health-related justifications, such as chronic illnesses or disabilities, were common. In conclusion, this study offers several recommendations, including the enactment of a law that would require school health physicians to provide accurate diagnoses of students’ health conditions, along with comprehensive and convincing medical files, rather than leaving it to personal considerations alone.