Effectiveness of an acrobatic gymnastics programme for the improvement of social skills and self-esteem in adolescents

Abstract

The study of psychosocial aspects in adolescents is of increasing interest in the field of formal education. Therefore, the design and evaluation of an Acrobatic Gymnastics (AG) programme focused on the personal and social needs of adolescents in Physical Education (PE) is proposed. The objectives of this research are to establish the associations and relationships between self-esteem and social skills in order to determine the effectiveness of the programme. Methods: This is an evaluative research study in which a participatory action research method was used. Eighty-three secondary school students aged 14 and 15 participated in the study. The Ambez@r Group Social Skills Questionnaire and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were used for data collection. Results: Students with socially skilful behaviour have a high level of self-esteem. The designed programme produces statistically significant improvements in both constructs. Conclusions: The programme is effective in improving the social skills and self-esteem of adolescents, and there is a clear association between both constructs.