Role of Physical Education in Promoting Emotional Intelligence Among Secondary School Students in Rivers State

Physical education programmes offer unique opportunities for the development of emotional intelligence through structured competitive and cooperative physical activities, yet this dimension of health education remains underexplored in the Nigerian academic literature. This study investigates the role of physical education in promoting emotional intelligence among secondary school students in Rivers State, South South Nigeria. A quasi-experimental design was employed, with 240 students from four secondary schools in Port Harcourt assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received a 12-week physical education programme incorporating cooperative games, team sports, and structured reflection activities designed to build emotional self-awareness, empathy, and social skills. Emotional intelligence was assessed using the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, adapted for the Nigerian secondary school context, administered before and after the intervention. Post-intervention analysis using analysis of covariance reveals statistically significant improvements in emotional self-regulation, empathy, and social relationship skills among the experimental group. Female participants demonstrate greater gains in empathy dimensions, while male participants show stronger improvements in emotional self-regulation. The study discusses implications for integrating socio-emotional learning objectives into physical education lesson plans. Recommendations include training physical education teachers in socio-emotional facilitation techniques and incorporating emotional intelligence outcomes into physical education assessment frameworks. Keywords: physical education, emotional intelligence, secondary students, Rivers State, socio-emotional learning