Learning from conflict to educate peaceful coexistence in Physical Education: motor conflict
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v79.118751Keywords:
Gender, motor conflict, Physical Education, school coexistence, teacher educationAbstract
Introduction. Addressing motor conflicts provides an opportunity to learn about interpersonal relationships in Physical Education classes. This subject offers a privileged context for promoting coexistence through motor experiences that activate relational, emotional, and ethical processes. However, motor conflict is often treated as a disruption to be avoided, which limits its educational potential in initial teacher education.
Objective. To analyse the effects of a motor conflict literacy programme on university students’ conceptual learning and to explore the potential of simulated motor conflict as a teaching strategy for emotional engagement and the design of educational experiences from a gender perspective.
Methodology. A quantitative quasi-experimental intra-group design with repeated measures was conducted with a sample of 167 students from the Degree in Physical Activity and Sport Sciences. The intervention combined conceptual literacy, motor experiences, and the dramatization of simulated motor conflicts.
Results. Study 1 showed a significant improvement in conceptual knowledge of motor conflict after the intervention, together with evidence supporting the validity of the ad hoc questionnaire. Study 2 revealed emotional changes following the dramatization and associations between the type of motor conflict, the represented gender, and the intensity of the motor conflict according to students’ sex.
Discussion. The findings highlight the pedagogical potential of motor conflict and its controlled simulation to foster emotional and relational awareness.
Conclusions. The results confirm the educational value of motor conflict in the initial training of Physical Education teachers.
References
Alonso Gómez, C. B., Rosa Camacho, N., & Ruiz Herrero, F. (2021). Gender stereotypes in physical edu-cation. ESHPA - Education, Sport, Health and Physical Activity, 5(1), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4141365
Bailey, R., Armour, K., Kirk, D., Jess, M., Pickup, I., Sandford, R., & BERA Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy SIG. (2009). The educational benefits claimed for physical education and school sport: An academic review. Research Papers in Education, 24(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671520701809817
Ben Chaâbane, Z., & Bejaoui, R. (2025). Socio-affective relationships and sporting games: Which choice for quality physical education. In P. Lavega-Burgués & M. Pic (Eds.), Promoting Sustainable De-velopment Goals in Physical Education (pp. 279–310). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-6084-2.ch012
Boardley, I. D., & Kavussanu, M. (2011). Moral disengagement in sport. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 4(2), 93–108. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984X.2011.570361
Bücker, S., Nuraydin, S., Simonsmeier, B. A., Schneider, M., & Luhmann, M. (2018). Subjective well-being and academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Journal of Research in Personality, 74, 83–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2018.02.007
Casey, A., & Goodyear, V. A. (2015). Can cooperative learning achieve the four learning outcomes of physical education? Quest, 67(1), 56–72. https://doi.org/10.1080/00336297.2014.984733
Chevel, E. A., & De la Espriella, F. A. (2020). Dispositivos lúdico-pedagógicos para la resolución de con-flictos escolares. Revista Assensus, 5(9), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.21897/assensus.1903
Delors, J. (1996). Learning: The treasure within. UNESCO.
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2ª ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum As-sociates.
Deutsch, M., Coleman, P., & Marcus, E. (2006). The handbook of conflict resolution. Jossey-Bass.
Domitrovich, C. E., Durlak, J. A., Staley, K. C., & Weissberg, R. P. (2017). Social-emotional competence: An essential factor for promoting positive adjustment and reducing risk in school children. Child Development, 88(2), 408–416. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12739
Galtung, J. (2010). Peace studies and conflict resolution. Transcultural Psychiatry, 47(1), 20–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363461509359232
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., y Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate Data Analysis (8.ª ed.). Cen-gage Learning.
Harvey, S., & Jarrett, K. (2014). A review of the game-centred approaches. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 19(3), 278–300. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2012.754005
Kaiser, H. F. (1974). An index of factorial simplicity. Psychometrika, 39(1), 31-36. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02291575
Kirk, D. (2020). Precarity, critical pedagogy and physical education. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429326301
Kivikangas, J. M., Kätsyri, J., Järvelä, S., & Ravaja, N. (2014). Gender differences in emotional responses to cooperative and competitive gameplay. PLOS ONE, 9(7), e100318. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0100318
López-Martín, E., & Ardura-Martínez, D. (2023). El tamaño del efecto en la publicación científica. Edu-cación XX1, 26(1), 9-17. https://doi.org/10.5944/educxx1.36276
López-Castedo, A., Álvarez-García, D., Domínguez-Alonso, J., & Álvarez, E. (2018). Ex-pressions of school violence in adolescence. Psicothema, 30(4), 395–400. https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2018.86
López-Sánchez, M. M., Arrieta-Rivero , S. ., & Carmona-Alvarado, F. (2023). Educación física y convi-vencia escolar, una apuesta desde el currículo. Retos, 47, 25-34. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v47.93674
Muñoz-Arroyave, V., Lavega-Burgués, P., Costes, A., & Serna, J. (2020). Los juegos motores como recur-so pedagógico para favorecer la afectividad desde la educación física. Retos, 38, 166-172. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v38i38.76556
OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]. (2019). Future of education and skills 2030: OECD Learning Compass 2030 — A series of concept notes. OECD.
ONU. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. ONU.
Ortega-Sánchez, J. C., & Bernate, J. A. (2025). Educación Física y su contribución al desarrollo socio-emocional y la convivencia escolar: una revisión sistemática. Retos, 74, 653-665. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v74.116561
Parlebas, P. (2001). Juegos, deporte y sociedad. Paidotribo.
Parlebas, P. (2020). The universals of games and sports. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 593877. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.593877
Pla-Pla, P., Lavega-Burgués, P., & Sáez de Ocáriz Granja, U. (2025). Mejorar la convivencia y reducir el conflicto motor con juegos deportivos en Educación Física: un estudio piloto. Retos, 70, 222-242. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v70.115138
Sáez de Ocáriz, U. (2011). Conflictos y educación física a la luz de la praxiología motriz [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat de Lleida.
Sáez de Ocáriz, U., & Lavega, P. (2013). Transformar conflictos en educación física. Culture and Educa-tion, 25(4), 549–560. https://doi.org/10.1080/11356405.2013.10783161
Sáez de Ocáriz, U., & Lavega, P. (2014). Hacia una transformación de los conflictos motores en Educa-ción Física. Cultura, Ciencia y Deporte, 9(25), 43–55.
Sáez de Ocáriz, U., Lavega-Burgués, P., March, J., & Serna, J. (2018). Transformar conflictos motores mediante juegos cooperativos. Universitas Psychologica, 17(5), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.upsy17-5.tcmj
Sánchez, M., Arrieta-Rivero, S., & Carmona-Alvarado, F. (2022). Educación física y convivencia escolar. Retos, 47, 25–34. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v47.93674
Teraoka, E., Jancer Ferreira, H., Kirk, D., & Bardid, F. (2021). Affective learning in physical education. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 40(3), 460–473. https://doi.org/10.1123/jtpe.2019-0164
UNESCO. (2015). Quality physical education policy. UNESCO.
UNESCO. (2017). Education for Sustainable Development Goals: Learning objectives. UNESCO.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Unai Sáez de Ocáriz, Pere Lavega-Burgués, Miguel Pic

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
- Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.