How do Girls and Boys Feel Emotions? Gender Differences in Physical Education in Primary School

The main objective of the study was to analyze the emotional intensity experienced by school-age boys and girls when participating in traditional sports games. A total of 152 students from two primary schools participated. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was applied to verify the distribution of the data, followed by Student’s parametric t-test for independent samples and Levene’s test for homogeneity of variance. Girls registered more intense positive emotions in games of lower decisional complexity (oppositional, cooperative, and individual games) and in non-competitive games compared to boys, who experienced positive emotions with greater intensity in cooperative-oppositional games and competitive games. Reducing sports stereotypes is necessary if the meaningful outcome of physical education is to promote shared emotional and relational well-being among all students. Therefore, traditional sports games can be an excellent tool for creating a positive impact on students’ social and emotional learning, as interpersonal relationships are key to the development of the game.