Exploring the variables associated with student attitudes toward inclusion in physical education after taking part in the Paralympic School Day programme

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine the variables associated with the attitudes of students without disabilities toward the inclusion of students with disabilities in the physical education setting as a result of taking part in the Paralympic School Day (PSD) programme. Participants were 143 sixth-grade students, divided into 2 groups (experimental n = 71, control n = 72), with the experimental group receiving the PSD treatment, and the control group taking part in regularly scheduled classes. Participants responded twice to Siperstein’s Adjective Checklist and Block’s Children’s Attitudes Toward Integrated Physical Education-Revised (CAIPE-R) Questionnaire. Four forward stepwise regression analyses were conducted. It was found that the PSD treatment had a significant effect in all four analyses. Results also indicate that competitiveness was associated with attitude scores on the Inclusion subscale of the CAIPE-R (B = −0.85, t(139) = −2.25, p = .026, η² = 0.02). In addition, contact at home (B = −1.07, t(138) = −2.42, p = .017, η² = 0.02) and contact in general education (B = −1.03, t(138) = −2.31, p = .022, η² = 0.02) was associated with attitude scores on the Sport Modification subscale of the CAIPE-R. Attitude is considered one of the keys to changing behaviours towards people who are different, and understanding the variables that are associated with attitude is paramount. Gender, competitiveness, and contact should continue to be explored.

KEYWORDS:

• Disability
• contact
• attitudes
• awareness

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.