Development of social adaptation and correction of deviant behavior of difficult teenagers by means of sports games on the example of volleyball

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problem of social maladaptation and deviant behavior of troubled adolescents and examines the possibilities of their correction through sports games using volleyball as an example. The aim of the study was to theoretically substantiate and experimentally test the effectiveness of a specially designed volleyball program in developing social adaptation and reducing aggressiveness in adolescents at risk. During a 9-month pedagogical experiment conducted in general education schools and supplementary education institutions, 148 adolescents aged 13-15, registered with school counseling services and juvenile affairs commissions, were examined and randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. Comprehensive psychodiagnostic methods were used (the Buss-Durkee aggression questionnaire, the social-psychological adaptation method by C. Rogers and R. Diamond, sociometry, and the Seashore group cohesion index), along with pedagogical observation and mathematical-statistical data processing (Student’s t-test, correlation, and factor analysis). The experimental program involved three 90-minute volleyball sessions per week, including exercises aimed at developing cooperation, changing social roles, and fostering self-control skills, while the control group followed the standard physical education program. The results demonstrated a significant decrease in physical and verbal aggression, the aggression and irritation indices in the experimental group, with no significant changes in the control group, as well as a marked increase in adaptability, acceptance of others, emotional comfort, and internal locus of control. The group cohesion index and the proportion of adolescents with a high level of group involvement increased significantly; the share of the latent factor social competence in the total variance of indicators increased almost fourfold. It is concluded that systematic volleyball training in a specially organized pedagogical environment is an effective means of correcting deviant behavior and developing social adaptation in troubled adolescents and can be recommended for widespread implementation in educational and rehabilitation practice.