Attitudes of nondisabled fifth and sixth grade students toward students with physical disabilities in physical education classes.

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the differences in attitudes of nondisabled students toward students with physical disabilities in physical education classes. The sample consisted of 190 fifth and sixth grade students enrolled in Dupont-Tyler Middle School, Hermitage, Tennessee. The Children's Attitudes Toward Integrated Physical Education-Revised (CAIPE-R) was used to determine if there were attitude differences. The mean total scores for the CAIPE-R survey for contact and noncontact groups were compared using a t-test. A t-test was also used to compare the mean total scores for the CAIPE-R survey for male students and female students. Multivariate analysis of variance was conducted to determine whether students who have had contact with students with disabilities scored differently on the general attitude and sport-specific subscales than students who have not had contact with students with disabilities. Multivariate analysis of variance was also conducted to determine whether male students or female students scored differently on the general attitude and sport-specific attitude subscales.

The scores of students in the contact and noncontact groups, as well as male students and female students, indicated positive attitudes toward students with disabilities in physical education classes. The results of the study were mixed. The significant difference for the total CAIPE-R reported for the contact and noncontact groups was minimal; however, a significant difference was reported on the total CAIPE-R for the gender groups. The results of the MANOVA for the subscales indicated a statistically significant difference for the contact and noncontact groups; however, the results of the MANOVA for the subscales and gender indicated no statistically significant difference. The results of this study may have been attributed to the tendency for positive responses in the contact and noncontact groups, as well as the gender groups.