In the diploma thesis, we studied students’ attitudes towards hiking, how frequently and (un)motivated they go on hikes with their families and school, potential differences in attitudes towards hiking among students of different ages, and students’ attitudes towards nature.
In the theoretical part, we focused on personality as a unique physical characteristic, continued with motivation and its purpose in everyday life, in sports and in hiking. We also presented the concept of motive and continued with the influence of the family on child’s attitude towards hiking. We also wrote about how to plan hikes, considered the goals, and explored ways to further motivate children to hike.
In the empirical part, the results of our quantitative research are presented. We collected data using a survey questionnaire, which was completed by 523 students from the 4th, 6th, and 9th grades of various primary schools. The collected data were exported to Excel and statistically processed using the SPSS program. The results are presented in tables and interpreted.
In the research, we found that most children enjoy hiking and that most of them go hiking with their families. The greatest advantage of hiking with family is seen in the time spent together and the abilty to set their own pace. Both the family and the school teach children how to move safely in the mountains and prepare them for later independent and safe movement. Children enjoy hiking with school for the fitness benefits and beautiful views, while they are most deterred by the hiking pace and the uninteresting nature of the trips. The main motivation for hiking is the opportunity to observe nature and animals, whereas the factors that discourage them the most are carrying a heavy backpack and the strenuous nature of the hike.
The differences emerged in specific questions related to grade levels. These variances were evident in factors that attract children to hiking with their families, as well as those that deter them from hiking, both with family and school. Discrepancies also appeared across all listed motivations that encourage students to hike in the mountains. We also found that among motivations that discourage students from hiking, differences between grades were noted only in the aspect of inappropriate company. Disparities were also evident in motivations such as picking up and taking away trash seen in nature, respecting other participants in nature (people, animals...) without shouting, and loving nature (rivers, mountains, meadows...) in terms of nature conservation.
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