Building Social-Emotional Competence of Elementary Students Through Noncompetitive Basketball Embedded with Social Skills Training

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man

Approximately 30% of children and adolescents experience emotional and behavioral difficulties, with adolescent mental health concerns increasing. This study tested a 5-week, 10-session noncompetitive basketball program embedded with social skills training for 12 fourth-grade female students. Commercial surveys and a Basketball Interest Inventory measured pre/post change in social-emotional competence and basketball interest, while a Social Validity Questionnaire evaluated acceptability. Results showed improved social-emotional competence scores, a modest rise in interest, and positive teacher evaluations, supporting the program’s effectiveness and validity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Implications for Practice

Increased Accessibility to Social Skills Training Through Sports

Increased Generalization of Social Skills in Natural Environments

RESEARCH REPORT Building Social-Emotional Competence of Elementary Students Through Noncompetitive Basketball Embedded with Social Skills Training Raisa Vallis Approximately 30% of children and adolescents experience emotional and behavioural problems, with girls exceeding boys in all age categories (Pathak et al. , 2011); and there has been a rise in the prevalence of mental illness and maladaptive behaviours in adolescence. To address these growing concerns, this study approached the task of enhancing the socialemotional competencies of children through noncompetitive basketball embedded with social skills training. Twelve female students in grade 4 participated in a 5-week program consisting of 10 sessions of noncompetitive basketball embedded with social skills training. Commercially produced surveys were completed before and after the intervention to measure student change in social-emotional competence and to evaluate the program’s effectiveness. A Basketball Interest Inventory was collected to measure the change in student interest as a result of participation in the program, and a Social Validity Questionnaire assessed the social acceptability of the program. Analyses of the data revealed positive changes to students’ socialemotional competence scores, indicating that the intervention program was effective as a means for social skill remediation. A slight increase in the average level of basketball interest was observed across all participants. Furthermore, the program was evaluated positively by teachers enhancing its social acceptability and validity. Positive results from this study may be used in future educational practices to proactively identify and provide preventative support to children and adolescents who experience emotional and behavioural problems and provides current educators and clinicians with an alternative social skill instruction method to the programs currently available. Implications for Practice Most children learn social skills and develop their social competencies informally through interactions with their peers and with significant adults in their lives. Socially competent students are shown to experience positive academic and psychosocial outcomes (Gresham & Elliott, 2014) . They often have numerous friends; they get along well with peers and adults; they are more confident in themselves; are good problem solvers, and can adapt well to different environments. However, there seems to be an increasing number of students, that for many reasons, have difficulty with (a) picking up social skills informally or (b) distinguishing which social skills to use when, where, and with whom (Meadows, 2013) . Students who demonstrate social skill deficiencies are more likely to experience interpersonal difficulties (Dodge & Crick, 1990; Kupersmidt & Coie, 1991; Weiss & Hechtman, 1993) such as peer-rejection, fewer friends and difficulty maintaining long-term relationships; and to achieve less success academically. Increased Accessibility to Social Skills Training Through Sports As a result of the insurmountable research supporting social competence for children and youth, child professionals are continuously developing and promoting various service-delivery and instructional approaches aimed at remediating deficits in social competence functioning. One of the most popular of these approaches is social skills training (SST) . Unfortunately, in light of their proven effectiveness in remediating social skills, SST programs are not always accessible or available in every community due to a variety of circumstances including cost incurred by the program itself, or cost of training; there may not be personnel available for training, or training available within a reasonable distance. The current study, which embedded SST into noncompetitive basketball, offers an attractive alternative to traditional SST approaches which are not always easily accessible, adds to the current literature supporting SS

FAQs

What intervention did the study use to improve students’ social-emotional competence?

The study used a 5-week program with 10 sessions of noncompetitive basketball embedded with social skills training.

How did the researchers measure the program’s effectiveness?

They used commercially produced surveys pre and post intervention to assess social-emotional competence, a Basketball Interest Inventory to measure interest change, and a Social Validity Questionnaire to evaluate acceptability.

What were the main findings after the program?

Students showed positive changes in social-emotional competence scores, there was a slight increase in basketball interest, and teachers rated the program as socially acceptable and valid.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man