The Frequency with Which the Mentally Retarded Participate in Recreation Activities

Abstract

This investigation attempted to ascertain the types of recreation activities in which the mentally retarded participated and the frequency of such participation. The frequency of recreation participation of 36 lower socioeconomic status (SES), mentally retarded, elementary age boys and girls was compared to the frequency of 36 nonretarded lower SES and 36 nonretarded middle SES elementary age boys and girls. All children were from a school district in central Pennsylvania. Mothers (or female guardians) of these children were interviewed using a questionnaire devised for this study. A two by two by four within subjects factorial design denoting with whom and where recreation activity clusters took place was used. Of the 16 dependent measures for the three groups, 11 proved to be nonsignificant and 5 significant among groups at the .05 level. One of these differences was attributed to mental retardation, two to SES, and two to mental retardation and SES. It was concluded essentially that the mentally retarded recreate as frequently as the nonretarded in physical, social, cognitive, and environment-related recreation clusters with themselves, family, friends, and others, in their homes and neighborhoods. The only difference found was that the mentally retarded do not engage in community recreation as frequently as the nonretarded.