Facilitating social skills in urban school children through physical education.

Collaborative research among university faculty, graduate students, and elementary classroom teachers was the basis for this 3-year investigation in an urban at-risk community. Data indicated that these elementary children (pre-K through Grade 6) had little understanding of or respect for personal space, showed force-control problems, exhibited escalating behaviors of physical force and violence, and missed valuable instructional and physical activity time due to discipline needs. Our investigation showed that a systematic collaboration in physical education between school- based faculty and university faculty could reduce antisocial behavior, improve the resolution of interpersonal disputes, and increase the physical skill levels of the children participants.