TY - JOUR

T1 - Students' perspectives on wheelchair basketball in mainstream and special schools

AU - Greve, Steffen

AU - Suessenbach, Jessica

N1 - Funding Information: This publication was funded by the Open Access Publication Fund of Leuphana University Lüneburg. The research is part of the project “Rollstuhlbasketball vermitteln und Talente in der Schule spielend finden” (RoBaTaS). This project was funded by the Bundesinstitut für Sportwissenschaft (BISp) on the basis of a resolution of the German Bundestag (registration number: PR020181200137). Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Greve and Süßenbach.

PY - 2022/8/31

Y1 - 2022/8/31

N2 - Very little research has been done on students’ perspectives on sports courses in special schools. The state of knowledge about students’ perspectives on concrete teaching concepts in inclusive physical education (PE) at mainstream schools is almost as incomplete. The present study was designed to address these two desiderata. For this purpose, a teaching concept was developed that was implemented in the PE lesson of one class in a mainstream school and in two sports courses in two special schools. Following this, guided interviews were conducted with 19 students: four boys and four girls from the mainstream school and 10 boys and one girl from the special school. The interviews were analyzed using grounded theory coding techniques. The students’ views differed strongly between the different school types. The students in the mainstream school expressed themselves very positively about the content of wheelchair basketball, but they saw sitting in a wheelchair as a very deficient activity. The students at the special school did not express the same opinion. However, it became clear that the special school was a microcosm that provided a sanctuary for the students. Leaving this comfort zone, for example, to join a wheelchair basketball club, could be very difficult for them. Mainstream school students, however, found learning opportunities in this context: They discovered a new perspective, namely, that of a person with disabilities, even if only for a very short time.

AB - Very little research has been done on students’ perspectives on sports courses in special schools. The state of knowledge about students’ perspectives on concrete teaching concepts in inclusive physical education (PE) at mainstream schools is almost as incomplete. The present study was designed to address these two desiderata. For this purpose, a teaching concept was developed that was implemented in the PE lesson of one class in a mainstream school and in two sports courses in two special schools. Following this, guided interviews were conducted with 19 students: four boys and four girls from the mainstream school and 10 boys and one girl from the special school. The interviews were analyzed using grounded theory coding techniques. The students’ views differed strongly between the different school types. The students in the mainstream school expressed themselves very positively about the content of wheelchair basketball, but they saw sitting in a wheelchair as a very deficient activity. The students at the special school did not express the same opinion. However, it became clear that the special school was a microcosm that provided a sanctuary for the students. Leaving this comfort zone, for example, to join a wheelchair basketball club, could be very difficult for them. Mainstream school students, however, found learning opportunities in this context: They discovered a new perspective, namely, that of a person with disabilities, even if only for a very short time.

KW - physical education (PE)

KW - grounded theory

KW - disability sports

KW - special needs education

KW - teaching concept

KW - inclusion

KW - inclusive sports

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85138351264&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3389/feduc.2022.963593

DO - 10.3389/feduc.2022.963593

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 7

JO - Frontiers in Education

JF - Frontiers in Education

SN - 2504-284X

IS - Sec. Special Educational Needs

M1 - 963593

ER -