Claudine Sherrill

An Inclusion Instrument Based on Planned Behavior Theory for Prospective Physical Educators

The purpose was to provide validity evidence for an attitude survey that will predict the intention of Czech prospective teachers to include students with physical disabilities in general physical education (GPE). Based on the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991, 2000), the Czech Attitude Toward Teaching Individuals with Physical Disabilities in Physical Education (ATIPDPE) contained statements of intention and of behavioral, normative, and control beliefs. Attitude was inferred from behavioral beliefs. Content validity evidence was established by experts in two countries and by pilot studies utilizing 96 university students to elicit accessible beliefs and intentions. Construct validity evidence was derived from data collected from 145 GPE and 47 adapted PE prospective teachers enrolled in three universities in the Czech Republic. Bivariate correlations, hierarchical regression analysis, and ANOVA examination of known group difference provided good validity evidence for the ATIPDPE. Alpha coefficients ranged from .71 to .94.

Equal-status relationships in the gym

Abstract Strategies for developing equal-status relationships through reciprocal modeling, tutoring. and caring may guide teachers as they help children with disabilities make the transition from special education programs back to regular classes.

COMPARISON OF WHEELCHAIR ATHLETES AND NONATHLETES ON SELECTED MOOD STATES

The Profile of Mood States was administered to two groups of male university students in wheelchairs. Both the 26 wheelchair athletes and the 28 wheelchair nonathletes exhibited the iceberg profile associated with positive mental health. Multivariate analysis indicated that wheelchair athletes had a significantly lower score on Depression than the wheelchair nonathletes but all scores were in the normal range.

Multidimensional Analysis of Fear and Confidence of University Women Relating to Crimes and Dangerous Situations

Fear-of-crime research, although plentiful, has been plagued by criticism that it often focuses on generalized, global measures of fear instead of specific instances that elicit an emotional response of fear. Much of the criticism is justified. Little is known about women’s perceptions of confidence in managing dangerous situations or crimes, or if confidence is correlated strongly with fear. College women (n = 564) completed the Perceptions of Dangerous Situations Scale, a survey instrument validated for college women, consisting of 34 crimes and dangerous situations. Women rated each situation with regard to their fear of and their confidence to manage selected situations. Ratings were subjected to multidimensional scaling, producing two dimensions that were interpreted as Personal Threat and Intimacy. Cluster analysis produced eight interpretable clusters for fear and eight for confidence. Implications for self-defense curricula and rape prevention training are discussed.

Effects of an integrated physical education/music program in changing early childhood perceptual-motor performance.

Two approaches to facilitating perceptual-motor development in children, ages 4 to 6 yr., were investigated. The experimental group (n = 15) received 24 sessions of integrated physical education/music instruction based upon concepts of Kodaly and Dalcroze. The control group (n = 15) received 24 sessions of movement exploration and self-testing instruction. Analysis of covariance indicated that significant improvement occurred only in the experimental group, with changes in the motor, auditory, and language aspects of perceptual-motor performance as well as total score.

Sport Participation of Hong Kong Chinese Children with Disabilities in Special Schools

The purpose was to examine sport participation (excluding physical education classes) of school-aged Chinese children with disabilities attending special schools in Hong Kong. A sample of 237 children, ages 9 to 19, attending 10 special schools in Hong Kong, responded to a sport participation questionnaire in individual interviews. Data were analyzed by gender, two school levels, and five disability types. Results relating to participation frequency and extent indicated that girls were significantly less active than boys. Children with physical disability, visual impairment, and mental disability were less active than children with hearing impairment and maladjustment. Children with different types of disabilities varied in their participation patterns and choices of physical activities as well as their motives for sport participation, nonparticipation, and withdrawal. We concluded that disability type is more related to childrens participation behaviors in sport and physical activities than to gender and school level.

MOTOR DEVELOPMENT OF PUERTO RICAN CHILDREN: CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES

The Test of Gross Motor Development was administered to 300 children, ages 5 to 7 yr., attending public schools in Puerto Rico. Statistical comparisons indicated that the test-manual norms for US children were applicable to Puerto Rican children except for 7-yr.-old girls. A 2 × 3 × 2 factor analysis of intercorrelations of Puerto Rican scores indicated no significant difference between rural and urban children, expected age group differences, and sex differences favoring boys.

Fitness, Attitude toward Physical Education, and Self-Concept of Elementary School Children:

Elementary school children scoring in the highest and lowest 26% or 27% of their classes on the Texas Physical Fitness test were compared for attitude toward physical education and self-concept. Data were collected on the Childrens Attitude Inventory Toward Physical Education, a Game of Pairs for Preferences Among School Subjects, and the Childrens Self-concept Scale. Analysis of variance indicated significant differences on all tests between boys high in fitness, girls high in fitness, boys low in fitness, and girls low in fitness. Subsequent Scheffé tests indicated that highly fit girls had significantly higher attitude and self-concept scores than boys low in fitness. Highly fit boys had higher self-concepts than boys low in fitness. No other group comparisons were significant. Pearson correlations indicated nonsignificant associations between fitness and attitude and self-concept for the four groups.

Use of the Sport Orientation Questionnaire with Wheelchair Athletes: Examination of Evidence for Validity

The factor structure of the Sport Orientation Questionnaire with three factors of competitiveness, win orientation, and goal orientation was examined in a sample of 243 wheelchair athletes from the USA. Based on sample-specific validity evidence theory, it was hypothesized that the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses would yield evidence on validity for wheelchair athletes who were different from able-bodied athletes. Exploratory factor analysis confirmed the hypothesis with a clear fourth and a questionable fifth factor. A confirmatory factor analysis did not adequately explain the new five-factor model. The new emerging fourth and fifth factors separated the competitiveness element of the questionnaire in ‘self-referenced’ and ‘other-referenced’ elements of competitiveness. Results are discussed in terms of demographic characteristics of the sample of wheelchair athletes.

Self-actualisation of elite wheelchair athletes

The purpose of this study was to examine the self-actualisation of male and female elite wheelchair athletes in comparison to the general population and to able-bodied athletes. All subjects completed the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI), and statistically significant differences were identified. In general, wheelchair athletes were similar to the general population. Male wheelchair athletes were significantly more self-actualised than able-bodied athletes, but female wheelchair athletes were self-actualised to the same extent as able-bodied athletes.