The Effect of Using Physical Education Activities through Traditional Thai Games on the Social Skills of Primary School Students

Abstract

This research article aims to study and compare the effects of using physical education activities incorporating traditional Thai games on the social skills of lower primary school students between an experimental group and a control group. The sample consisted of primary school students from Maharuethai Christian School who participated in a physical education course (traditional Thai games). The sample was divided into a control group of 16 students and an experimental group of 16 students, selected based on a percentage-based sampling criterion. The research utilized an activity plan for traditional Thai games, developed by the researcher, consisting of eight sessions conducted over eight weeks, three days per week, with a consistency index of 0.87. Data collection was conducted using a social skills assessment tool, which had a consistency index of 0.97. The statistical methods used for data analysis included mean, standard deviation, percentage, and the dependent sample t-test to compare the mean social skills scores before and after the experiment within the experimental group and within the control group. Additionally, the independent sample t-test was used to compare the mean social skills scores between the control and experimental groups. The significance level was set at 0.05. The results showed that the total sample of 32 students had an average age of 6–12 years. In the control group, there were 6 male students (37.5%) and 10 female students (62.5%), while the experimental group had the same gender distribution. The average social skill scores between the control and experimental groups showed statistically significant differences in social interaction, communication skills, cooperation, and leadership-followership skills. However, there was no statistically significant difference in problem-solving skills.