Aggressive Behavior during Physical Education Classes among Elementary and Middle School Students: A Field Study from the Perspective of Male and Female Teachers in Jeddah

Numerous studies have indicated the prevalence of aggressive behavior in schools, which is one of the most widespread problems among children and adolescents, both male and female, and disrupts the educational environment and negatively impacts students' academic achievement, mental health, and social development. We aimed to identify the most prevalent patterns of aggressive behavior, compare them, and find ways to address them during physical education classes among elementary and middle school students using the perspectives of teachers in Jeddah. The study population comprised 370 male and female physical education teachers in primary and intermediate schools for boys and girls in Jeddah. A questionnaire comprising four sections (direct physical aggression, verbal aggression, indirect aggression, and methods to deal with aggression during physical education classes) was used as the data collection tool. The results showed that verbal aggression is the most prevalent form of aggression (M=2.288) among male and female elementary and middle school students during physical education classes, followed by direct physical aggression (M=2.245), with indirect aggression being the least prevalent (M=2.086). The results also indicated that male students are more aggressive than female students across all forms of aggression. Furthermore, male elementary school students exhibit higher levels of aggression across all forms of aggression than male middle school students. Given the scarcity of studies in this field and the difficulty of conducting a longitudinal study and applying it simultaneously across Saudi Arabia, this study fills a research gap in the study of aggressive student behavior. Establishing clear rules for the class is a must, promoting proper behavior for other students, dividing students into small groups during the lesson to promote constructive interaction between students and their peers, and using immediate intervention for aggressive behavior to prevent it from recurring.