Investigating the impact of adapted physical education service-learning projects on preservice teachers’ attitudes toward individuals with disabilities

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J Exerc Rehabil Vol. 18, No. 1, 74-78, February, 2022

Publication date (electronic) : 2022 February 24

doi : https://doi.org/10.12965/jer.2142654.327

Eun Hye Kwon¹, Jinho Park², Taeeung Kim^3,

¹Department of Counseling, Health & Kinesiology, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA

²Department of Exercise Rehabilitation & Welfare, Gachon University, Incheon, Korea

³Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea

^*Corresponding author: Taeeung Kim, Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Korea, Email: ktang7711@gmail.com

Received 2021 November 26; Accepted 2022 January 12.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Service-learning (SL) is one of the pedagogical strategies that can enhance students’ practical knowledge by involving them in community service projects to fulfill the community-based learning experiences structured community learning experience (Halamish, 2018; Mackenzie et al., 2019; Sabo et al., 2015). SL integrates academic course contents and objectives into community service that extends learning beyond the traditional classroom setting (Dalton et al., 2012, 2019; Marcus et al., 2011). Regardless of the nature of the studies, SL has been implemented in several areas including literacy, teacher education, medicine, and engineering (Dalton et al., 2012; Dalton et al., 2019). For successful implementation, diverse formats have been applied within the curriculum include, but are not limited to, a single assignment within a particular course and an intensive project that requires several hours on the site (Halamish, 2018; Mackenzie et al., 2019; Sabo et al., 2015).

In the field of Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) and Adapted Physical Education (APE), SL is often used as a strategy to provide contacts and teaching experiences to college students who have an interest in working with individuals with disabilities (Case et al., 2021; Roper and Santiago, 2014; Valverde-Esteve et al., 2021). The American Association of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation recommended SL into the PETE curriculum could enhance teacher candidates’ engagement with community agencies since 1973 (Pérez-Ordás et al., 2021). Several studies have been conducted to figure out the effectiveness of SL components in the PETE curriculum. In the field of the PETE program, SL component implementation into the curriculum has become popular as a method for preservice teachers to apply pedagogical mythologies, work with diverse populations, and develop a sense of civic responsibility (Chiva-Bartoll et al., 2020). More specifically, APE courses are increasingly using SL methodology.

In APE, SL is considered a valuable tool linking context and practical experiences (Case et al., 2021). Since a number of students with disabilities are included in the general education setting, SL implementation into the APE courses could provide preservice teachers opportunities to work with individuals with disabilities. The most commonly utilized methods for SL in APE are practicum experience including the learning log, analysis of events, writing journals, and semi-structured journals (Pérez-Ordás et al., 2021).

There are several practical articles in the field of APE proposing how to plan SL assignments for preservice PE teachers and children with disabilities (Roper and Santiago, 2014). Roper and Santiago proposed how to utilize SL on PETE courses for developing competencies required for accreditation giving specific examples (Roper and Santiago, 2014). However, there are limited studies that explore the effectiveness of APE courses in the SL in the PETE program. Pérez-Ordás et al. (2021) also proposed how to incorporate SL into PETE program at the department level considering each characteristic. These articles indicated that SL across PETE curriculum could provide sequential and progressive experiences for preservice teachers to have chances to apply pedagogical knowledge.

Researches in APE also have investigated how SL influenced teachers’ attitudes toward individuals with disabilities. Researchers observed PETE teachers’ personalities and attitudes toward teaching students with disabilities before and after completing the SL projects (Chiva-Bartoll et al., 2020). Preservice teachers who engaged in the SL project showed a significantly greater in the social self-realization and resolute self-efficacy dimensions than the control group.

Although several articles documented the implementation strategies for SL into PETE program, such studies limit the effectiveness of the practicum experiences. The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of SL projects in the Intro APE course on preservice teachers’ attitudes toward people with disabilities.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

RESULTS

Total 130 students (N=130) were participated into the study (n_male=65, n_female=55). Average ages of participants were 23.3 years old, and 99% of participants were senior 1% of students were junior. All the participants were submitted two reflection papers for both assignments and document with the supervisor’s signature that could verify participants’ volunteer hours.

Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Toward Persons with Disabilities

Data modification was conducted to reversely code the questions that indicate the higher scores indicated attitudes that are more negative. Total 21 items, 13 items in affective domain and eight items in behavior domain are coded reversely. The result of t-test indicated that there is no difference in overall MAS scores between pre-and posttest (Meanpre=2.954, SDpre=0.689, Meanpost=3.01, SDpost=0.679; t(129)=0.390, P=0.784). More specifically, in affective domain, there has been significantly increased from pretest (Meanpre=2.58, SDpre=0.475) to posttest (Meanpost=2.90, SDpost=0.682; t(129)=−1.561, P=0.059). In the cognitive domain, there is no significant difference between pre- and posttest (Meanpre=3.47, SDpre=0.374, Meanpost=3.52, SDpost=0.188; t(129)=0.347, P=0.327). Scores in behavior domain increased from (Meanpre=2.36, SDpre=0.586) to (Meanpost=2.50, SDpostt=0.651; t(129)=0.440, P=0.837). Mean scores for each item are indicated in Table 1.

Table 1

Result of the Multidimensional Attitude Scale Toward Persons with Disabilities (MAS) toward persons with disabilities

DISCUSSION

SL is one of the widely implemented strategies to implemented strategies in teacher education (Mackenzie et al., 2019). Since SL is one of the strategies to extend practical learning experiences and social and psychological development of preservice teachers, this study sought to investigate SL projects in Introductory APE courses impact on preservice teachers’ attitudes toward individuals with disabilities (Pérez-Ordás et al., 2021; Roper and Santiago, 2014).

The results provided insight changes in preservice teachers’ attitudes toward individuals with disabilities. This study indicated that there are no significant changes in preservice teachers’ attitudes toward individuals with disabilities after the SL projects completion. This is aligned with the study of Chiva-Bartoll et al. (2020). Their study also reported no significant changes in PETE students’ attitudes and personalities after the practicum experience. However, PETE students of their study indicated significantly improve in their perceived competence in teaching children. This trend was observed in current study in the result of significant increase in affects subscale.

The significant increase observed in affects subscales that are related with broad psychosocial context toward individuals with disabilities (Mackenzie et al., 2019). Since the range of this result indicated the emotion of participants toward individuals with disabilities, the SL assignments in this study promoted preservice teachers’ emotional status from discomfort and anxiousness to calmness and relaxation. It could be interpreted contact hours with individuals with disabilities promoted the positive emotion toward individuals with disabilities. Since specific emotions such as personal distress and empathy can be considered as determinants of helping (Carlson et al., 1988), completing SL projects could enhance preservice teachers’ intention to help toward individuals with disabilities bringing personal and social development (Roper and Santiago, 2014).

The SL project of this study provided preservice teachers chances to promote positive emotional development toward individuals with disabilities. However, the result of this study indicated that 6-hr SL projects in different settings were not effective enough to improve preservice teachers’ cognition and behavior toward individuals with disabilities. To provide meaningful SL implementation, it is critical to consider various factors such as diverse environments and SL assignment designs. Chiva-Bartoll et al. (2020) found that PETE students improved attitudes and personality toward teaching children with disabilities after completing service-learning project. This study diversified locations of SL projects to provide different levels of interaction with individuals with disabilities. These diversified experiences may give a chance to participants to promote positive emotional development toward individuals with disabilities.

SL components were considered a bridge the gap between theory and practice (Marcus et al., 2011; Pérez-Ordás et al., 2021). In this study, two SL projects in Introductory APE course allowed the preservice teachers to contact individuals with disabilities for minimum 6 hr. The result indicated the preservice teachers increased affects toward individuals with disabilities that could potentially promote their positive behavior such as helping individuals with disabilities. Findings indicated cognition and behavior of preservice teachers toward individuals with disabilities were positively increased, but not significantly improved yet. Evidence suggested that two SL projects in this study did not significantly improve the overall positive attitudes of preservice teachers toward individuals with disabilities, but it was meaningful to observe that preservice teachers increased their affects toward individuals with disabilities.

For future studies, it is recommended to diversity the level of contact hours among participants to see what would be minimum hours that could positively affect the behavior of preservice teachers toward individuals with disabilities. Diversifying sites to contact individuals with disabilities needs to be considered for future studies as well to see the most effective locations of sites that could increase positive affective, cognitive, and behavior patterns toward individuals with disabilities.

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