THE EFFECT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL SKILLS AMONG REFUGEE CHILDREN

Alma Paškevičė, Jūratė Požėrienė

Abstract


Social adaptation of refugee children in host societies depends not only on formal education but also on opportunities to participate in structured group activities. Physical activity programmes may provide a supportive environment in which children can communicate, cooperate, regulate their emotions, and practise constructive responses to interpersonal situations. This study aimed to assess changes in refugee children’s social skills during their participation in an organised football programme. Nine refugee children participated in the study. Their social skills were systematically assessed before and after a 16-week programme consisting of three 75-minute football sessions per week. The findings indicated positive changes across all assessed areas of social skills, including behaviour, communication, emotional awareness, self-awareness, self-control, stress management, and conflict resolution. The results suggest that systematically organised football activities may contribute to the development of refugee children’s intrapersonal, interpersonal, communication, and activity-related skills and may support their social participation in the host society.

Keywords


physical activity, social skills, refugee children

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejpe.v13i7.7023

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