Students with physical disability in Taiwan generally lack of exercise and lead a sedentary lifestyle. They are in need of exercise to keep fit. Swimming has found to be an effective way to maintain their movement ability. This study implemented The Sherrill Water Fun and Success Model (Sherrill, 1998) as adapted aquatic exercise to train a female student in 2 levels of movement exploration in water and a level of pre-beginning swimming ability. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of aquatic exercise on the swimming ability and affective learning of a female student.
Method
The participant of this study was a sixteen-year-old high school female student with Hemiplegia (the entire right side was involved) who had suffered from stroke caused by hemorrhage of blood vessels in the brain. The student exercised twice a week for ten weeks in one-to-one learning environment. Each session lasted for 50 minutes. The training program consisted of 5 motor tasks in the pool: walking, leg lift, arm stroke, chest expanding, floating and kicking. The motor tasks were arranged in 3 levels: explorer, advanced explorer and floater. The instructor was an adapted physical education specialist and had established a good rapport with the participant before the study. During the training time, participant was closely observed and the performance was recorded to assess the change of water adaptability and joint movements.Data for the participant's performance on water adaptability and movement were collected and assessed using Beginning Competency Levels of Swimming for the Sherrill Model.
Analysis/Results
The results indicated that the participant was successful in completing all the motor tasks listed in the Beginning Competency Levels of Swimming for the Sherrill Model. In general, (1) The participant made good progress in water adaptability after aquatic exercise. She could move freely in the water and float with assistance. (2) The participant showed improvement in hand grasp and locomotion skill. Her affected leg was less rigid, thus greatly improved her functional ability in daily life; (3) The participant also made good progress in spreading limb and keeping balance. (4) In affective respect, the participant showed improvement in self-concept and self-confidence.
Conclusions
The conclusion of this study was that the 8 sessions of aquatic program was effective for motor skill and effective learning. Aside from changing the participant's psychomotor behavior, also facilitating her self-actualization.
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