The Transformation of Conflicts into Relational Well-Being in Physical Education: GIAM Model

Abstract

To educate the relational well-being in order to learn to live together in society is one of the main needs of modern physical education (PE). Teachers are in need of pedagogical models to instruct peaceful coexistence and transform possible conflicts into PE. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of a pedagogical model (GIAM model) designed for conflict transformation on the relational well-being of students in obligatory secondary school (ESO in Spain). This study was an empirical research (associative strategy, comparative study using mixed methods). A number of 287 valid students (M = 14.90; SD = 0.66) participated in this study from 4 different secondary schools (SSs): third ESO (SS1 (n = 75); SS3 (n = 45); SS4 (n = 86)) and fourth ESO (SS2 (n = 81)). A sequence of seven learning sessions was conducted, the intervention of the teachers on the GIAM model and the student’s motivational climate perception caused by this learning sequence was analyzed. The teachers who best adapted their intervention to the GIAM model obtained greater significant changes (p < 0.005) in favor of the relational well-being of their students. This research provides scientific evidence and intervention strategies for students to learn how to transform the conflicts, adopting a collaborating style based on reflection-for, -in- and on-motor action.

From Conflict to Socio-Emotional Well-Being. Application of the GIAM Model through Traditional Sporting Games

“…Previous studies (e.g., [52]) have provided empirical evidence on the effect of the GIAM model through the practice of competitive TSGs on relational well-being, on aspects such as task orientation, progress, cooperation, and equality among students. On this occasion, an in-depth analysis of the internal aspects that characterize MCs (relational wellbeing) and their link with emotional regulation (emotional well-being) has been carried out within the framework of a pedagogical experience (GIAM model) put through TSGCOPC.…”

“…A key decision will be the selection of the activities to be introduced in such a program [52]. To this end, sociomotor games are of great interest as they are played in the presence of peers and/or opponents [65].…”

“…The GIAM model proposes two strategies for teachers in the transformation of conflicts [52,74]: (a) transforming the rules of the game in order to change its internal logic and try to reorient the pupils towards another game scenario (e.g., widening the playing field; increasing the number of passes allowed; modifying the way of scoring). In this new context, the aim is to reduce the intensity of the MC resulting from the conflictive motor conducts that give rise to the conflict (misadjusted and/or perverse) together with the type of responses that are triggered (verbal, physical, or mixed aggression); (b) to transform the attitudinal model used by the student facing the conflict, orienting his or her attitudes towards the collaborative win-win model.…”

“…A pedagogical intervention on competitive TSG was designed following the procedure established by the GIAM model [52] and oriented towards the education of interpersonal relationships for socio-emotional well-being and the positive transformation of motor conflicts. For this purpose, the actions for a learning session or sequence (phase 3 of the GIAM model) presented in this model were taken into account: This intervention was applied in four SS.…”

“…In the context of PE, the GIAM pedagogical model (of the Motor Action Research Group) offers intervention guidelines for teachers to provide education on conflictive interpersonal relationships aimed at improving socio-emotional well-being [52]. Its characteristics, based on the theory of motor action [53], conflictology [42,54], and reflection on action [55,56], provide teachers and students with the necessary resources to guide their interventions towards states of well-being and mutual respect among equals [12,57].…”