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Friendship in inclusive physical education from the perspective of students with and without physical disabilities

The role of a best friend for students with and without a disability in inclusive physical education has been conspicuously neglected in sport psychology and adapted physical activity research. Although the last decade has seen an increase in empirical research pertaining to the perceived experiences of students with a physical disability in inclusive physical education (Blinde & McCallister, 1998; Goodwin & Watkinson, 2000; Hutzler, Fliess, Chacham, & Van den Auweele, 2002), the effect of a best friend for both students with and without a disability has generally been overlooked. Thus the current study compared friendship in inclusive physical education from the perspective of students with (n=8) and without (n=8) physical disabilities. All participants attended a reversely integrated school and were interviewed using an unstructured, open-ended interview format. An interview guide from Weiss, Smith, and Theeboom (1996) that explored friendship in the sport domain was adapted to account for the context of inclusive physical education. Four categories emerged from the analysis: spectrum of friendship, best friend, preferred physical activities and outcomes, and dealing with disability. Specifically, similarities and differences were noted in best friendship, between the two groups regarding physical activity patterns, and features of best friendship valued in physical education.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.99601
Date January 2007
CreatorsSeymour, Helena.
PublisherMcGill University
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Formatapplication/pdf
CoverageMaster of Arts (Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education.)
Rights© Helena Seymour, 2007
Relationalephsysno: 002600963, proquestno: AAIMR32559, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest.

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