The Impact of Paralympic Skill Lab on College Student Cognitive Attitudes toward Inclusive Lifetime Sport and Fitness

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to determine if taking part in a Paralympic Skill Lab (PSL) would have a positive impact on the cognitive attitudes of college students toward the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in lifetime fitness and sport activities, including campus recreation. The final sample comprised 192 college students. The students were enrolled in course sections that were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The Adjective Checklist was used to collect data. Results indicated that when the pretest cognitive attitude score was controlled, there was a significant PSL effect on the posttest cognitive attitude score (F[1, 188] = 4.37, p = 0.038, η² = 0.02). The results from this study provide support for the PSL program as an effective program to facilitate cognitive attitude change for college students. College students are future professionals, business leaders, community members, and change-makers, thus supporting the necessity of awareness and education programs in the higher education arena.

KEYWORDS:

• Disability sport
• paralympics
• higher education
• inclusion

Acknowledgments

Support for the Paralympic Skill Lab, and related research, was provided by a James Madison University College of Health and Behavior Studies Mini-Grant, and a James Madison University Provost Research Grant.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.