The increases in childhood illnesses such as Type II Diabetes and obesity are directly related to a lack of physical activity and poor nutrition. Physical education in schools has traditionally provided students with the knowledge necessary to live a healthy lifestyle by teaching them the importance of being physically fit and providing a curriculum that empowers students to grow and succeed. Because these numbers are on the rise, it is imperative that physical educators and administrators investigate why these diseases are on the rise and what schools can do to stem the tide through increasing awareness and activity.

Children begin to make decisions on what activity they feel comfortable doing based on the way it is presented in the curriculum and how the students perceive their place in the physical education setting. Children also come to physical education class with perceptions of their abilities, how this translates into success in class, and how this motivates or dissuades them to participate in physical education class.

Prior research has looked at issues relating to gender and why females and low skilled males begin to avoid physical education. Ultimately, it is their attitudes toward physical education that should have a direct effect on the types of activity interests in which they would feel comfortable participating.

This study collected data of middle school students enrolled in regular physical education classes in a suburban school district on Long Island ( N = 602) based on their gender and ethnicity. Their activity interests were compared to attitudes relating to curriculum, learning environment, and achievement goals in physical education. These variables were also used to predict the activity interests of students for the purpose of noting that there are differences in interests and that there are conunonalities in student expectations regardless of the activity.

There were minimal effects on activity interests and attitudes based on ethnicity, yet gender difference was noted for all activity interests as well as differences in attitudes. There were small positive correlations between activity interests and selected attitudes at the p = .05 and p = .01 levels of significance.

Based on preferred activity interests, students' attitudes can be used as a predictor satisfying the hypothesis that if a student has a certain amount of autonomy he/she will choose activities that he/she feels comfortable participating in for the purpose of becoming successful in that activity of interest.

These responses will assist administrators and teachers in writing curriculum that reflects the preferences of students and gives these same administrators and teachers' insight into how their attitudes are developed.