Developing Social Skills in Schools via Physical Education Programs: The Case of Israeli Male High School Students

This research proposal aims at studying the development of social skills among high school students through a multidisciplinary program that incorporates physical education and socialization lessons. The study will pursue a multidisciplinary approach by incorporating physical education classes and sports on the one hand with education for social skills on the other. Are students who are active or even participate in physical education classes more prone to develop their social skills than students who do not take part, or tend to remain passive or in these classes? Social skills include students’ ability to develop social communication, cooperation in a teamwork, self-discipline, assertiveness and social adaptation skills as influenced by their level of activity in physical education and sports classes. Students are also engaged in reflexive sports mediation. Reflexive mediation takes place during or after a sport session, during which students reflect (discuss and analyze) about events that took place during the sports session, and whether the action and reaction could or should have been done differently.