Education intervention using para-sports for athletes with high support needs to improve attitudes towards students with disabilities in Physical Education

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn this research, para-sports for athletes with high support needs are used to sensitise students towards disability in their Physical Education (PE) classes, aiming to: 1) explore the participants’ attitudes towards disability and their previous contact with individuals with disabilities; and 2) know the short- and long-term effects of a Para-Sports Awareness Programme (PSAP) on attitudes towards disability. Totally, 88 participants in the sixth-grade of Spanish Primary Schools were divided into a control group (15 males, 30 females; mean age = 11.29, SD = .51), and an intervention group (20 males, 23 females; mean age = 11.51, SD = .59). The PSAP developed is based on boccia and goalball, including an education intervention in natural settings, comprising information, multimedia material and the simulation of physical and visual impairments. A questionnaire based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour and a Spanish version of the Children’s Attitudes towards Integrated PE (CAIPE) questionnaire were used to assess students’ attitudes towards disabilities in PE classes. After the PSAP, the intervention group demonstrated improved attitudes in all variables, with some statistically significant differences, such as concerning the acceptance of adaptations in sports practice (p < .01; d = .58). Therefore, the intervention proves the effectiveness of the applied PSAP in improving students’ attitudes towards disabilities.