Corporal expression and group formation: the impact of self-selection vs. randomness

Introduction: Group work is a fundamental and necessary strategy in the world of work, infiltrating most professional areas, among them Physical Education. Specifically, in the areas of artistic expression, group work plays an important role in the development of its contents. Objective: the aim of this study was to analyse the perception of Physical Activity and Sport Science students on the management of learning and the development of interpersonal skills through group choreographic work, analysing the differences according to the criteria for the formation of the groups of students (random and self-selected). Methodology: For this purpose, exploratory research was carried out using quantitative and qualitative methods Results: The main results showed that members of the self-selected group strengthened interpersonal skills such as group cohesion and communication, while members of the randomly selected group reported improvements in learning management such as adaptability, negotiation and task sharing Discussion: Based on the proposed objectives, it was confirmed that students' perceptions through group work influence their organizaonal strategies and the development of their professional skills. The students' perception of group work in artistic-expressive disciplines has been satisfactory in both groups, developing social skills, greater personal involvement in the work, an improvement in the atmosphere of collaboration, improving communication between the members of the group and the responsibility of the students. Conclusions: In summary, the use of group work strategies, irrespective of the organisation of the groups, increased the social competence and skills of the university students.