Attitudes of Exercise Science Majors towards Adaptive Recreation and Adaptive Athletes

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study summarizes the impact of exposure to Adaptive Recreation Day (ARD) on the attitudes of exercise science students towards adaptive sports and athletes. METHODS: In October 2015, Florida Gulf Coast University held its second annual ARD. This event represented a collaboration among the Exercise is Medicine® On Campus team, Campus Recreation, the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Office of Service Learning, and four off- campus community partners. Over the course of the day, individuals participated in five different adaptive activities. Activities ranged from adaptive paddle boarding to adaptive softball. Each activity required the participant to experience adaptations made to the sport. Students also assisted participants with disabilities during the events. RESULTS: Approximately 300 total individuals participated in the event with 100 students engaged specifically in the Service Learning Project. Students in the Exercise Science Program (N=32) submitted a reflective response after the ARD. Qualitative analysis using the following key words identified changes in attitudes: strengthened, respect, impact, appreciate, humbling, learn, and inspiring. Overall, all Exercise Science students reported positive influences on their perspective and attitude towards adaptive sports and athletes. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that participation in adaptive recreation activities positively influences student’s perception and attitude towards adaptive sports and athletes. Events such as ARD can help to enhance and broaden exercise science students’ educational experiences and as such should be added into student learning whenever possible. Future research should investigate the impact of these types of learning activities on American College of Sports Medicine knowledge skills and abilities (KSA) for individuals with a bachelor’s level education.