THE Effect of Handball Invasion Game Model on Elementary Students’ Empathy: a Sociocultural Perspective

EMPATY PHYSICAL EDUCATION ELEMENTRY SCHOOL HAND BALL

Authors

This study aims to develop and assess the effectiveness of a teacher's handbook designed for handball learning grounded in a sociocultural approach, with the objective of enhancing empathy among elementary school students. The research was motivated by global concerns regarding the decline in children's empathy, attributed to increased digitalization and limited direct social interactions, particularly in urban areas such as Sleman. Employing a quasi-experimental method with a non-equivalent control group design, the study involved two groups of students from different elementary schools. The experimental group utilized the teacher's handbook, while the control group received conventional learning. The study instruments included a validated and reliable empathy questionnaire, alongside observations of empathetic behaviors during the learning process. Statistical analysis revealed that the experimental group experienced a significant increase in empathy levels compared to the control group, with an average difference of 6.2 points. The t-test indicated a significant value (p < 0.05), signifying a meaningful difference between the two groups. These findings demonstrate that the sociocultural-based handball learning model is effective in fostering empathy among students and offers a practical solution for character development through physical education in elementary schools.