Impact of competitive games in physical education classes on emotional and psychological well-being

Abstract

[Abstract] The increasing prevalence of problems related to mental health and emotional well-being among children and young people underlines the importance of educational institutions, particularly Physical Education, to foster emotional well-being. Therefore, Physical Education is a suitable educational space for working on emotions. This research aims to investigate whether the introduction of competition in Physical Education games influences the emotional intensity of students. Method: The sample consisted of 46 people aged between 10 and 12 years (M = 10.87; SD = 0.75), of whom 26 were girls (57%) and 20 boys (43%). To carry out the study, the sample was divided into two groups, a control group and an experimental group, with which non-competitive and competitive games were played, respectively, in the area of Physical Education. The instruments used in the research were the GES-C questionnaire and an ad hoc sociodemographic questionnaire created specifically for this study. Results: The research showed that non-competitive games generated greater intensity in any of the 4 positive emotions evaluated, as well as with competitive games in the 5 negative emotions evaluated. In the same line, it was also evidenced that positive emotions are significantly more intense when winning and negative emotions are significantly more intense when losing during the practice of competitive games. Conclusions: Competitive games favor emotional development differently from non-competitive games. Therefore, neither type of game should be eliminated from educational practice. That is why Physical Education teachers must make a selection of the games to be used during their classes, competitive or non-competitive, based on the previously established educational objectives.