DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ASSESSING THEIR PHYSICAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION TEACHERS’ COMPETENCES

The purpose of the study was to examine if there are significant differences between male and female secondary school students in assessing the personal and professional competences of their physical education teachers, and to determine if these group differences are in any kind of interaction with the teachers’ gender. The sample in this study were N=831 students from fourteen secondary schools in the urban parts of Sarajevo. The students attended third (N=422 or 50.8%) and fourth class (N=409 or 49.2%) at the time of the research. There were N=452 (54.4%) females and N=379 (45.6%) males in this sample, both aged from sixteen to eighteen. A 28-item Teachers’ Competences Perception Questionnaire was constructed (TCPQ) and applied on the given sample. The instrument measured the competences related to teaching skills, communication and empathy, health care instructions, pedagogical competences and physical appearance. According to the results, the male students gave higher ratings to the teachers of both genders on pedagogical competences. No significant group differences and interactions were identified on all the other competence scales. Also, the students of both genders generally gave higher ratings on physical appearance to female teachers and a significant positive interaction was found between student and teacher gender in assessing the teachers on this variable. Finally, a negative interaction was found in assessing teachers on communication and empathy where male students rated female teachers higher and female students rated male teachers higher on this variable. Theoretical and practical implications of the study have been also