Developing Prosocial Leadership in Primary School Students: Service-Learning and Older Adults in Physical Education
Background: As population aging continues to accelerate, it is increasingly important to promote a positive perception of older adulthood from an early age. Service-Learning (SL), when integrated into Physical Education (PE), offers an opportunity to foster critical and prosocial awareness in primar...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/7/845 |
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| author | Encarnación E. Ruiz-Montero Horacio Sanchez-Trigo Kamal Mohamed-Mohamed Pedro Jesús Ruiz-Montero |
| author_facet | Encarnación E. Ruiz-Montero Horacio Sanchez-Trigo Kamal Mohamed-Mohamed Pedro Jesús Ruiz-Montero |
| author_sort | Encarnación E. Ruiz-Montero |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: As population aging continues to accelerate, it is increasingly important to promote a positive perception of older adulthood from an early age. Service-Learning (SL), when integrated into Physical Education (PE), offers an opportunity to foster critical and prosocial awareness in primary school students, encouraging attitudes of respect and empathy toward older adults. Method: A qualitative study was conducted with 40 sixth-grade students who participated in an SL project at an adult day care center. Through weekly adapted PE sessions, the students engaged in direct interaction with older adults. Data were collected through reflective journals and analyzed using content analysis techniques. Results: The findings reveal a positive impact on students’ perceptions of older adults. Significant development of prosocial competencies, such as empathy, collaborative leadership, and communication skills, was observed. Furthermore, students expressed an enhanced sense of usefulness and social commitment. Conclusions: Intergenerational SL in PE is an effective strategy for improving academic learning, transforming attitudes, promoting civic values, and contributing to more inclusive education. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0489810c8b734d70a9d8daaf5b251db0 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-0489810c8b734d70a9d8daaf5b251db02025-07-25T13:20:42ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022025-07-0115784510.3390/educsci15070845Developing Prosocial Leadership in Primary School Students: Service-Learning and Older Adults in Physical EducationEncarnación E. Ruiz-Montero0Horacio Sanchez-Trigo1Kamal Mohamed-Mohamed2Pedro Jesús Ruiz-Montero3Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Granada, 18011 Granada, SpainDepartment of Physical Education and Sport, University of Seville, 41004 Sevilla, SpainTEPAS Research Group HUM-1080, Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, SpainTEPAS Research Group HUM-1080, Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, SpainBackground: As population aging continues to accelerate, it is increasingly important to promote a positive perception of older adulthood from an early age. Service-Learning (SL), when integrated into Physical Education (PE), offers an opportunity to foster critical and prosocial awareness in primary school students, encouraging attitudes of respect and empathy toward older adults. Method: A qualitative study was conducted with 40 sixth-grade students who participated in an SL project at an adult day care center. Through weekly adapted PE sessions, the students engaged in direct interaction with older adults. Data were collected through reflective journals and analyzed using content analysis techniques. Results: The findings reveal a positive impact on students’ perceptions of older adults. Significant development of prosocial competencies, such as empathy, collaborative leadership, and communication skills, was observed. Furthermore, students expressed an enhanced sense of usefulness and social commitment. Conclusions: Intergenerational SL in PE is an effective strategy for improving academic learning, transforming attitudes, promoting civic values, and contributing to more inclusive education.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/7/845experiential learningprosocial leadershipintergenerational educationsocial inclusionvalues education |
| spellingShingle | Encarnación E. Ruiz-Montero Horacio Sanchez-Trigo Kamal Mohamed-Mohamed Pedro Jesús Ruiz-Montero Developing Prosocial Leadership in Primary School Students: Service-Learning and Older Adults in Physical Education Education Sciences experiential learning prosocial leadership intergenerational education social inclusion values education |
| title | Developing Prosocial Leadership in Primary School Students: Service-Learning and Older Adults in Physical Education |
| title_full | Developing Prosocial Leadership in Primary School Students: Service-Learning and Older Adults in Physical Education |
| title_fullStr | Developing Prosocial Leadership in Primary School Students: Service-Learning and Older Adults in Physical Education |
| title_full_unstemmed | Developing Prosocial Leadership in Primary School Students: Service-Learning and Older Adults in Physical Education |
| title_short | Developing Prosocial Leadership in Primary School Students: Service-Learning and Older Adults in Physical Education |
| title_sort | developing prosocial leadership in primary school students service learning and older adults in physical education |
| topic | experiential learning prosocial leadership intergenerational education social inclusion values education |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/7/845 |
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