The Role of Physical Education in the Development of Emotional Skills among Seventh-Grade Students in Basic Education

Abstract

Physical Education is configured as a strategic pedagogical setting for the holistic development of students, especially in Middle Basic General Education, a stage in which fundamental socioemotional skills for school coexistence and personal well-being are consolidated. In this context, the present study aims to analyze the effects of the application of a methodological guide based on cooperative, playful, and socioemotional activities during Physical Education classes, oriented toward strengthening emotional skills in seventh-grade students of Basic General Education. The study was conducted under a quasi-experimental design with a mixed-methods approach and an applied scope, developed within an institutional educational context. The sample consisted of seventh-grade students, to whom a pretest was administered using a checklist to assess empathy, assertive communication, teamwork, and emotional regulation. Subsequently, a structured pedagogical intervention was implemented over a two-month period, based on cooperative and expressive motor activities. At the end of the intervention, semi-structured interviews were conducted for data triangulation. Data analysis was carried out using descriptive and inferential statistics through SPSS software, revealing significant improvements in the evaluated socioemotional skills. The results confirm the effectiveness of the methodological guide, leading to the conclusion that Physical Education, when planned from a socioemotional approach, contributes significantly to students’ holistic development, constituting a replicable and relevant pedagogical proposal for the school context.