Students with disabilities are often excluded from physical activity experiences, at worst, or are disadvantaged, at least. There are many unanswered questions about the personal experiences of students with disabilities, specifically concerning those with intellectual disabilities. Furthermore, there is a dearth of research that has utilized individuals with disabilities as active research participants. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the perspectives of students with intellectual disabilities regarding their participation in a fitness program established as a service learning model within an Adapted Physical Education (APE) course.
Method:
Sixteen (16) students (4 females; 12 male), ranging in age from 18-21 years, participated in a 12-week fitness program that consisted of 384 sessions that lasted 75 minutes each. Each participant worked with two university students from an APE course. Sessions included an initial period of cardiovascular endurance training followed by muscular strength training and flexibility, and concluded with a period of motor skill development.
Data were collected through individual interviews (16), informal interviews (96), fitness assessments (32), direct observations (205), and document analysis. In addition, each participant produced a series of drawings which were accompanied by their narrations (48).
Analysis/Results:
Thematic analysis was used to analyze all data. The following themes relating to the perspectives of the students with intellectual disabilities were identified: (a) developing health related fitness knowledge; (b) developing relationships; and (c) developing intrinsic motivation.
Conclusions:
The results of this study seemed to support postulates by some researchers about the benefits of engaging students with intellectual disabilities as active participants in the research process, suggesting that students’ voices provided valuable insights about their physical activity experiences, revealed novel aspects and opinions, and contributed to the theoretical and intellectual understandings of the lives of students with intellectual disabilities. Most importantly, the students were involved in an inclusive pedagogy that facilitated student-centered learning.