Motor games for self-control in Basic General Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61347/psa.v4i2.171Keywords:
Basic education, emotional regulation, motor games, self-control, teaching practiceAbstract
Motor games constitute a pedagogical resource with the potential to promote self-control in school-age children. This study aimed to diagnose the level of self-control among seventh-grade General Basic Education students during their participation in motor games and to examine the teaching practices associated with their pedagogical use at the Fe y Alegría Educational Unit in Riobamba. The research adopted a mixed-methods approach with a descriptive scope, a non-experimental design, and a cross-sectional structure. A participant observation guide was applied to 42 students, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with two homeroom teachers. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequencies and percentages, whereas qualitative information was organized into thematic categories. The results showed that an adequate level of self-control predominated across the four dimensions assessed. Impulse control and emotional regulation were the most consolidated dimensions, both reaching 64.3%, whereas frustration tolerance and reward postponement, as well as cognitive and behavioral flexibility, showed greater needs for improvement. The teachers differed in their knowledge, planning, frequency, and diversity of the motor games applied. It was concluded that motor games may contribute to strengthening self-control when they are implemented in a planned and varied manner and linked to explicit educational purposes; however, due to the descriptive and non-experimental nature of the study, causal relationships could not be established.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Evelin Anahi Galora Lopez, Patricia Elizabeth Vera Rubio
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