Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Assistant professor in sport management, Department of Sport Sciences, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran
2
Assistant professor in sport management, Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Eram Institute of Higher Education, Shiraz, Iran
Abstract
In today’s world, the development of social health and social skills, with an emphasis on the application of physical activity education in schools as one of the most important social components, plays a fundamental role in the quality of interactions, personality development, and students’ success. The aim of the present study was to model the effect of physical activity education on social skills, with the mediating role of social health, among student athletes in Zahedan. This study adopted a descriptive–correlational design. The statistical population consisted of all upper secondary school students in Zahedan during the 2024–2025 academic year. Based on Morgan’s table and using simple random sampling, 256 students were selected as the sample. The data collection instruments included the Keyes Social health Questionnaire (2004), a researcher-developed Physical Activity Education Questionnaire, and the Quang Social Skills Questionnaire (2023. Face and content validity were used to assess the validity of the questionnaires. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with LISREL software. The results of structural equation modeling analyses confirmed the goodness of fit of the proposed model. The findings indicated that physical activity education had a positive, significant, and direct effect on social health and social skills; social health also had a positive, significant, and direct effect on social skills. In addition, a positive and significant indirect effect of physical activity education on social skills through social health was observed. Therefore, physical education and physical activity, when implemented in a healthy and purposeful environment, can serve as a powerful tool for enhancing students’ social health and social skills. Accordingly, educational planners and policymakers should adopt appropriate policies to maximize this potential in order to nurture future generations with stronger social skills and higher levels of social health.
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