Prosociality and perception of Physical Education in Primary School students: reflective diaries. Intergenerational service-learning
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v71.116938Keywords:
Empathy, sociability, respect, aging, physical activityAbstract
Introduction: it’s becoming more important to understand population aging and to promote a positive view of old age, starting from early education.
Objective: to explore prosocial skills and how primary school students perceive physical education (PE) classes.
Methodology: a total of 40 final-year primary students took part in a 10-week service-learning (SL) project with older adults at a day center. The research followed a qualitative approach, and the main tool used to gather information was a reflective journal.
Results: several prosocial traits seem to have been activated through the project, especially empathy, sociability, and respect. However, the clearest impact was seen in how students developed a more positive view of PE classes.
Discussion: similar to other studies, this type of educational experience—working closely with older adults—can help change how students see PE. The hands-on, meaningful nature of the SL approach plays a key role in this shift.
Conclusions: reflecting on an intergenerational SL experience is a useful way to understand how primary students feel about their PE classes and what they take away from them.
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