‘It’s a challenge’: Post primary physical education teachers’ experiences of and perspectives on inclusive practice with students with disabilities
Ona McGrath, Susan Crawford, Dan O’Sullivan
EUJAPA 2019, 12(1):2 | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2018.011
Internationally, several studies have indicated insufficient emphasis on the theory and practice of inclusion in relation to disability, in both initial teacher education and continuing professional development programmes for Physical Education (PE) teachers. This has resulted in some negative attitudes and perceived lack of competency among teachers in relation to inclusive practices in PE. There is a lack of in-depth studies in this regard from an Irish perspective. This current study sought to explore seven PE teachers’ experiences and perspectives in relation to the inclusion of students with disabilities in four post primary schools using…
Physical activity patterns in adults who are Deaf
José Marmeleira, Luís Laranjo, Jorge Bravo, Diogo Menezes
EUJAPA 2019, 12(1):3 | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2019.002
The benefits of physical activity for health are well known, but there is limited information about its patterns in some disability groups. The main purpose of this study was to measure physical activity in a sample of adults who are Deaf. Sixty-two Deaf adults (18-65 years) from both genders (64.3% women) participated. Physical activity was measured by accelerometers worn near the right hip for at least three days. Twenty-nine (~59%) of the 49 participants that met the accelerometer criteria reached the recommendation of 30 min per day of moderate-to-vigorous PA. However, no one achieved that goal in bouts of at least 10 minutes. Participants spent…
Adapted physical educators’ beliefs and intentions for promoting out of school physical activity
Jill Pawlowski, Joonkoo Yun
EUJAPA 2019, 12(1):4 | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2019.003
The purpose of this study was to examine beliefs, intentions, and behaviors of promoting out-of-school physical activity among adapted physical education teachers and comparing these beliefs, intentions, and behaviors with those of general physical education teachers. A total 253 physical educators including 208 general physical education and 45 adapted physical education teachers completed the survey measuring their behavior, attitude, self-efficacy, social normative beliefs, intention, and implementation intention of out-of-school physical activity promotion. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed significantly lower out-of-school physical…
The effect of a pacer versus no-pacer on submaximal fitness test results among Special Olympics athletes
Viviene A. Temple, Kendal F. Alston, Jaymie J. Elder, Lynneth Stuart-Hill
EUJAPA 2019, 12(1):5 | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2019.005
Using a pacer when administering fitness tests reduces the practicality of testing. Additionally, presuming that a pacer is needed for all Special Olympics athletes is potentially discriminatory. We examined the need for a pacer to enhance performance and the test retest-reliability of the six-minute walk test administered with a pacer (Criterion-m6MWT) and without a pacer (No-pacer 6MWT). Participants were n=18 Special Olympics athletes (men = 12, Mean age=37 years (SD=10.1) with low support needs. After familiarization, participants completed the Criterion-m6MWT and the No-pacer 6MWT. The order of the tests was randomized. A week later, participants…
Balance and strength assessment of Special Olympics athletes: how feasible and reliable is the Fun Fitness test battery?
Debbie van Biesen, Roi Charles Pineda
EUJAPA 2019, 12(1):6 | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2019.004
This study examined the test-retest reliability and feasibility of four muscle strength and three balance tests included in the Special Olympics (SO) FUNfitness test battery. The test is used worldwide to assess physical fitness of SO athletes with intellectual disabilities (ID). A sample of 36 Belgian participants with ID (22 men, 14 women) aged 8–30 years, completed a battery of seven tests twice within a two-week time interval. We assessed test-retest reliability by means of intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM), and Bland-Altman plots. All tests demonstrated good feasibility and relative and absolute…
