Impact of Paralympic School Day on Student Attitudes Toward Inclusion

• Published in: Research quarterly for exercise and sport Vol. 87; no. S2; p. A92
• Main Author: McKay, Cathy A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington Taylor & Francis Ltd 01.06.2016
• Subjects: Attitudes; Disability; Gender; Physical education; Student Attitudes; Students with disabilities; Variables
• ISSN: 0270-1367; 2168-3824

One of the most important variables in successful inclusion practice is the attitude of the peer group (Sherrill, 1998; Tripp & Sherrill, 1991). Research related to improving the attitudes of students without disabilities toward the inclusion of students with disabilities is imperative. Paralympic School Day (PSD) is a disability awareness program that provides a platform for attitude change by raising awareness about disability and disability sport. The purpose of this study was to determine if PSD would have a positive impact on the attitudes of students without disabilities toward the inclusion of students with disabilities in physical education classes, including an exploration of the variables that impact attitudes toward inclusion. The sample included 143 6th-grade students. The students were divided into 2 groups (experimental, n ¼ 71; control, n ¼ 72), with the experimental group receiving the half-day PSD treatment. All students responded 2 times to Siperstein's (2006) Adjective Checklist and Block's (1995) Children's Attitudes Toward Integrated Physical Education-Revised (CAIPE-R) Questionnaire. Four analysis of covariance tests were conducted, with the posttest score as the dependent variable and the pretest score as the covariate. Independent variables were gender and PSD treatment, both including 2 levels: gender (male/female) and treatment (PSD/no PSD). Results indicated a significant PSD treatment effect across all 4 measures: Adjective Checklist ( p ¼ .046, partial h 2 ¼ .03), CAIPE-R ( p ¼ .002, partial h2 ¼ .07), Inclusion subscale (p ¼ .001, partial h2 ¼ .08), and Sport Modification subscale ( p ¼ .027, partial h2 ¼ .04). Results did not indicate a gender effect. Forward stepwise regression analyses indicated that competitiveness at the very high level ( p ¼ .026, partial h2 ¼ .04), contact at home ( p ¼ .017, partial h2 ¼ .04), and contact in general education ( p ¼ .022, partial h2 ¼ .04) were significant variables that impacted attitudes negatively. The results of this study provided in-depth data indicating the effectiveness of the PSD program on changing attitudes toward the inclusion of students with disabilities in the physical education setting. This study was the first of its kind in the United States and offered results that can potentially guide future awareness programming initiatives that are specific to changing attitudes of the peer group. This study can guide future discussions about the implementation of the PSD program as a meaningful and relevant avenue for improving the attitudes of students without disabilities toward the inclusion of students with disabilities.