Abstract

The present study was carried out from a sample of 613 male and female students between 14 and 16 years old attending public centres of secondary education in the autonomous community of Murcia. The students were tested to find out their
morphological capacity.
The results have allowed us to comply with one of the methodological principles proposed in the present Educational Reform: to know the initial level, to progress accordingly and to compare this level with the referential context. This principle is clearly specified in the various sections that constitute the official curriculum in the area of physical education for the Compulsory Secondary Education level (Educacion Secundaria Obligatoria, ESO).
We have also established a valid reference context for an objective evaluation of the physical aptitude of ESO students aged 14 to 16, from a normative perspective.
This could be a big help for students as well as teachers. For students, because it would allow them to compare their level of global physical aptitude or partial aspects of the same with their population of reference and as a factor of motivation. For teachers, because they can now use this information to set up strategies to attain an improvement in physical capacities connected to health.