Effects of a Structured Physical Education Program on Students’ Social Skills

Abstract

This research investigated the impact of a Structured Physical Education (PE) Program on the social competence of early adolescent girls in Pakistan. A quasi-experimental design was used and involved 513 students (Grades 6-8) from four schools randomly allocated to an Experimental Group (EG), receiving a 12-week SEL-integrated PE intervention, or a Control Group (CG), maintaining conventional PE. Social competence was assessed with the Multisource Assessment of Social Competence Scale (MASCS) before and after treatment. Findings indicated a statistically significant Group × Time interaction (p < .001) for all seven aspects of social competence. The EG registered large, significant gains in cooperation, empathy, and independence (Cohen's d > 1.40), and significant declines in impulsivity, disruptiveness, anxiety-withdrawal, and sadness (Cohen's d > 1.16), with no significant changes in the CG. The results indicate that a formal PE program is an extremely effective vehicle for socio-emotional learning in resource-deprived settings. The research recommends policy change to include SEL in national PE curricula and spend on instructor training to optimize wholistic student growth.

 Keywords: Structured Physical Education, Social Competence, Socio-Emotional Learning, Early Adolescence, School-Based Intervention