Exploring the Impact of Adapted Physical Education toward Physical Activity Intentions, Social Inclusion, and Positive Learning Environment among Students with Disabilities

Abstract

This study is designed to investigate the role of adapted physical education (APE) toward physical activity (PA) intentions, social inclusion, and a positive learning environment among people with disabilities (PWDs). This study involves a qualitative study approach involving a group of participants (i.e., 25 participants; mix-genders with an age range between 3 and 27 years old) comprised of students registered with the Wonder PPDK in central Selangor Malaysia. The qualitative approach in this study utilised a series of questions and answers through drawings to gain insights from the participants’ perspectives on the intervention. The drawings were analysed collectively between authors to identify common pictorial phenomena through features such as lines, colours, images, and space. This study found that APE provided an avenue for the participants to engage in complex thinking through appropriate-planned activities, shift from self-oriented towards engagement with others, and experience a sense of freedom which translated into a feeling of comfort in APE. Besides that, the participants suggest that APE helped them to feel happier and more desire to contribute something meaningful to their peers or people around them. Our work answers the questions regarding the role of APE towards nurturing self-efficacy in PWDs while also highlighting the need to address the current shortcomings of APE, particularly in the Malaysian context. Additionally, future studies should consider longer periods of intervention, a higher number of participants, and additional approaches or instruments to solidify the current understanding of how APE can be used as an agent of change for PWDs.