Can Physical Education Lessons Promote the Intercultural Competence of School Children?

Our society is becoming more and more diverse concerning cultural, linguistic, ethnic and religious aspects. Therefore, children growing up in a pluralistic society need intercultural competence as a key skill. Schools are a prominent place where children can acquire this competence and some studies suggest that physical education is a particularly adept subject to transmit intercultural competence because it combines motor, cognitive, social and emotional aspects. ELKE GRIMMINGER-SEIDENSTICKER has examined whether intercultural competence can indeed be promoted by physical education lessons that are planned on the basis of the Intercultural Education Movement program. Her intervention study shows surprising results as she explains in this video. The researchers actually decreased the intercultural competence of the students involved and their analysis of this led them to suggest recommendations for future developments in physical education lessons.