European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity - Most viewed articles
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INCLUDING CHILDREN WITH DISABILITY IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION: GENERAL AND SPECIFIC ATTITUDES OF HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS
Yeshayahu Hutzler, Inbal Levi
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 1, 21-30 (2008) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2008.006 
The purpose of this study was to validate an Israeli version of the Children's Attitude towards Inclusion in Physical Education (CAIPE) scale (Block, 1995). Participants were 120 high school students from grades 9, 11, and 12. Twenty-five students participated in sport classes and the others were regular students. A modified version of the Attitudes Toward Including Students with Disability in Physical Education ATISD-PE questionnaire was used as a measure of concurrent validity. Results indicated a bi-factorial structure with moderate to adequate Cronbach's Alpha reliability of the general and sport-specific sub-scales of the CAIPE, respectively....
EVALUATION OF A UNIFIED FOOTBALL PROGRAM BY SPECIAL OLYMPICS ATHLETES, PARTNERS, PARENTS, AND COACHES
Funda Baran, Ece Top, Abdurahman Aktop, Dilara Özer, Sibel Nalbant
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 2, 34-45 (2009) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2009.003
The purpose of the study was to compare the perceptions of athletes, partners, parents, and coaches regarding their commitment to the concept of Unified Sports, and their overall satisfaction with the 8 weeks Unified Football Program at the beginning and the end of the program. Participants were 46 boys with and without Intellectual Disabilities (ID) (23 with ID, mean age=14.5±1.19 years, 23 without ID, mean age=14.1±0.89 years). The Unified Sport Questionnaire forms were administered to athletes, partners, coaches, and parents as a pretest in the second week of the training and a post test just after the tournaments. There were...
EXTREME SPORT AND RECONSTRUCTION OF IDENTITY IN PERSONS WITH SPINAL CORD INJURIES (SCI)
Suzanna Tangen, Martin Kudlacek
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 7, 3-12 (2014) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2014.006
This study aims to explore the meaning extreme sport have to the reconstruction of identity in persons who have sustained spinal cord injuries (SCI). Psychological well- being in persons with spinal cord injury is of crucial matter. Suicide rate in persons with SCI are reported to be three times higher than the average population. This study have a qualitative design with a phenomenological approach, where 4 extreme skiers, recruited from the "WY All Mountain Ski Camp" in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA where interviewed. Data triangulation consists of 5 additional sources of data, instructor interview, voluntary assistant interview, field journal, including...
Full inclusion of a student with visual impairment over the full Physical Activity and Sport Sciences Degree: A case study
Raul Reina, Javier Álvaro Ruiz
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 9, 40-52 (2016) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2016.004
This paper explains the inclusion process done with a student with a severe visual impairment in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences Degree. This inclusion process required a close collaboration with professionals and social workers such as the family, the Spanish National Organization for Blind People (ONCE), the university Service for students with disabilities, faculty managers, professors and the student's peers. The student did the admission exam (theory and practical) in similar conditions to his classmates and specific adaptations were arranged. This case study paper is organized following the next group of actions: a) theory subjects, b)...
Quality of Life of Wheelchair Rugby Players
Tomáš Zelenka, Martin Kudláček, Julie Wittmannová
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 10, 31-35 (2017) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2017.008
Quality of life (QOL) of persons with disabilities has recently become focus of studies in various academic disciplines There is 250-500 thousands new cases of spinal cord injury annually, with majority being caused by accidents. Spinal cord injury (SCI) makes significant impact on person's lives as only one third of persons with SCI are able to return to jobs they did prior to acquiring SCI and majority of them cannot return to the hobbies or sports. The purpose of this study was to show the effect of sport participation in wheelchair rugby on QOL of persons with spinal cord injury. Twenty male wheelchair rugby players - athletes with tetraplegia,...
Pedagogies for Inclusion in Finnish PE: The Teachers' Perspective
Christopher Mihajlovic
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 10, 36-49 (2017) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2017.009
This paper analyses teachers' points of view regarding the changes and differentiations in their teaching content and didactic choices that they find necessary to ensure the participation of children with disabilities in physical education (PE) classes. The study consists of a qualitative approach that utilised semi-structured interviews, field notes and participant observation as data collection tools. Three subject teachers of PE, four special education teachers and one class teacher located in the Metropolitan area of Helsinki participated in the research. Given this small sample group, the results of the study make no claims for generalisability,...
Youth leisure-time physical activity from the perspectives of young adults with visual impairments
Justin Haegele
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 11, 10 (2018) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2018.010
The purpose of this study was to examine the meaning that young adults with visual impairments ascribe to their youth leisure-time physical activity experiences. This study adopted an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) research approach. Ten participants (aged 21-34 years; eight women, two men) with visual impairments were included in this study. Semi-structured, audio-taped telephone interviews acted as the primary source of data for this study. Data were analyzed thematically using a four-step process informed by IPA and three interrelated themes were constructed: (a) “I just always felt normal when I was doing them”: Preferences...
Physical activity patterns in adults who are Deaf
José Marmeleira, Luís Laranjo, Jorge Bravo, Diogo Menezes
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 12, 3 (2019) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2019.002
The benefits of physical activity for health are well known, but there is limited information about its patterns in some disability groups. The main purpose of this study was to measure physical activity in a sample of adults who are Deaf. Sixty-two Deaf adults (18-65 years) from both genders (64.3% women) participated. Physical activity was measured by accelerometers worn near the right hip for at least three days. Twenty-nine (~59%) of the 49 participants that met the accelerometer criteria reached the recommendation of 30 min per day of moderate-to-vigorous PA. However, no one achieved that goal in bouts of at least 10 minutes. Participants spent...
Balance and strength assessment of Special Olympics athletes: how feasible and reliable is the Fun Fitness test battery?
Debbie van Biesen, Roi Charles Pineda
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 12, 6 (2019) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2019.004
This study examined the test-retest reliability and feasibility of four muscle strength and three balance tests included in the Special Olympics (SO) FUNfitness test battery. The test is used worldwide to assess physical fitness of SO athletes with intellectual disabilities (ID). A sample of 36 Belgian participants with ID (22 men, 14 women) aged 8–30 years, completed a battery of seven tests twice within a two-week time interval. We assessed test-retest reliability by means of intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM), and Bland-Altman plots. All tests demonstrated good feasibility and relative and absolute...
Cognitive interviews with children as a research tool for instrument validation in adapted physical activity
Nancy L. I. Spencer, Marcel Bouffard, E. Jane Watkinson
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 13, 2 (2020) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2019.014
The development and use of instruments to assess individuals with impairments in various domains is common practice in the field of Adapted Physical Activity. Test developers and users often question the validity of their instruments and use different conceptual and/or empirical strategies for validation purposes. One validation strategy, still rarely used in the sport sciences, is cognitive interviews with participants. This study is an attempt to show the utility of cognitive interviews for instrument development with children with relevance to the field of adapted physical activity. Specifically, we investigated the question-and-answer processes...
The Impact of a Summer Sports Camp for Children with Visual Impairments on the Self-Efficacy of Physical Education Pre-Service Teachers: A Pilot Study
John Foley, Sara Santarossa, Daniel W. Tindall, Lauren J. Lieberman
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 13, 3 (2020) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2019.011
Training and self-confidence of the instructor are important components in the success of any inclusive physical education (PE) or recreation program. The purpose of this study was to determine if the self-efficacy toward teaching students with intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities or visual impairment in PE would increase in PE pre-service teachers working at a one-week intensive sports camp for youth with visual impairments. PE pre-service teachers (n=18) filled out the Self-Efficacy Scale for Physical Education Teacher Education Majors towards Children with Disabilities (SE-PETE-D) pre- and post-camp. SE-PETE-D measured participants’...
Finding a Home for Adapted Physical Education in Individualized Education Program Software
Scott McNamara, Suzanna Dillon
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 13, 4 (2020) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2019.015
The United States’ Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) is a law that mandates special education is free and appropriate for all children with disabilities and includes services in physical education (PE). Few scholars have examined how PE for students with disabilities is documented within individualized education program (IEP) software systems. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to examine the extent to which PE is being included in IEP software. Fifteen IEP software companies were surveyed. In addition, nine state IEP templates were randomly selected and reviewed in order to determine how they labeled PE services....
Perspectives on the integration of students with disabilities in physical education: An umbrella review of reviews published between 2010 and 2020
Andreas Fröberg
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 14, 9 (2021) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2021.002
Research regarding the integration of students with disabilities in physical education has progressively increased during the last three decades, as has the number of published reviews. The objective of this umbrella review was to synthesise findings from reviews published between 2010 and 2020 to obtain a comprehensive picture of the current literature regarding the integration of students with disabilities in physical education. Search strings were developed and the four electronic databases Educational Research Complete, ERIC, Scopus, and SportDiscus were searched to identify reviews published between January 2010 and January 2020. After removing...
Age and sex-based differences in functional strength of adults participating in Special Olympics
Viviene A. Temple, Pauli Rintala, Shayla Zeitz, Meghann Lloyd, John T. Foley
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 15, 1 (2022) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2021.009
Muscular strength is a critical component of physical health. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine age- and sex-based differences in functional strength and rates of referral for education in a large international sample of Special Olympics athletes. A total of 30,358 (male = 19,661) adult (20–69 years old) athlete functional strength records were utilized from the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes database. Descriptive statistics were computed for the following tests: timed sit to stand, partial sit-up, grip strength, and seated push-up. Analyses of variance with Fisher-Hayter pairwise comparisons generally supported age-related...
Exploring physical activity level after procurement of adapted tricycle; Quantity versus enjoyment
Berit Gjessing, Astrid Nyquist, Reidun Jahnsen
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 15, 14 (2022) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2022.012
People with disabilities are less active than people without disabilities, and many do not reach the recommended amount of moderate intensity physical activity. This study aimed to investigate whether people with disabilities who acquired an individually adapted tricycle became more physically active, and to map which factors they reported as important for using their tricycle. People with disabilities applying for an adapted leg-driven tricycle participated in this observational study. ActiGraph GT3x accelerometer was worn for 7 days before and after acquiring the adapted tricycle (pre- and post-test). An open-ended question, in a questionnaire described...
ATTITUDES OF IN-SERVICE PHYSICAL EDUCATORS TOWARD TEACHING CHILDREN WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES IN GENERAL PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASSES IN CYPRUS
Ioanna Fournidou, Martin Kudlacek, Christina Evaggelinou
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 4, 22-38 (2011) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2011.002
Over the last two decades the idea of inclusion of students with special educational needs (SEN) in general schools has become increasingly the focus of Inclusive education in Cyprus. The passage of new laws mandating school inclusion, the new educational physical education curriculum as well as the attention that has been given to physical education teachers' training, are significant changes towards school inclusion. The aim of this study was to identify the attitudes, and predictors of attitudes, of in service Cypriot secondary school physical education teachers towards the inclusion of students with physical disabilities in general physical education...
ASSESSING SELF-ESTEEM AND PERCEIVED PHYSICAL COMPETENCE IN ELDERLY USING THE PHYSICAL SELF-PERCEPTION PROFILE
José P. Ferreira, Ana M. Teixeira, Alain G. Massart, Edith Filaire
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 6, 7-18 (2013) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2013.006
The paper examined the psychometric properties of the Physical Self-Perception Profile (PSPP) when used with elderly groups and described gender differences in physical self and global self-esteem. A sample of 207 elderly participants (age 65-93 years, M=76.54 and SD=6.56) completed the PSPP and the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale as a self-reported measure of physical self and global self-esteem during different social and cultural activities in senior daily care centres. Reliability, factor structure, hierarchical structure and criterion-related validity were assessed. Findings revealed limited gender differences for the total sample, with males expressing...
Structure, validity and reliability of the Children´s Attitudes Towards Integrated Physical Education-Spanish version (CAIPE-SP)
David Cordente-Mesas, Sixto González-Víllora, Martin E. Block, Onofre R. Contreras-Jordán
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 9, 3-12 (2016) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2016.005
The main aims of the present study is to translate, carry out and test the validity and reliability of a transculturaladaptation of the Children Attitudes towards Integrated Physical Education - Revised CAIPE-R (Block, 1995) intothe Spanish language in order to be used in Spain. Participants were 791 primary school students without disabilities(393 males and 398 females, aged between 9 to 13 years old, mean age 10.80 ± 0.739). The CAIPE-R measuresthe attitudes that children without disabilities have towards the inclusion of children with disabilities in theirgeneral physical education (GPE) lessons. Results confirm a structure of three components...
EUJAPA as an open access journal
Kwok Ng
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 12, 1 (2019) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2019.007
This is an editorial for 2019 Volume 12, Issue 1.
Perspectives on adapted physical activity formation in Europe
Yves Vanlandewijck
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 14, 1 (2021) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2021.004
Editorial EUJAPA Spring 2021
Using a university service-learning program to explore the experiences of older adult participants with physical disabilities
Gardenia Juarez, Josephine Blagrave, Luciana Zuest, Kevin Patton
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 16, 6 (2023) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2022.010
Researchers have investigated older adults without physical disabilities in various physical activity (PA) programs. However, few studies have focused on older adults with physical disabilities. To the authors’ knowledge, no studies have explored the experiences of this population in a university service-learning program. To that end, the purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of older adults with physical disabilities in a physical activity university service-learning program. A qualitative research design was used to explore the experiences of six adults with physical disabilities using open-ended interviews, program observations,...
ADAPTED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AS A PROFESSION IN EUROPE
Martin Kudlacek, Ursula Barrett
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 4, 7-16 (2011) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2011.005
Adapted physical activity (APA) is a profession that is not well known and acknowledged in many European countries in the year 2011. On the other hand there are a growing number of studies showing the importance of professionals, who would be able to provide services and support in areas of sport, recreation and physical education of persons with special needs. The term 'adapted physical activity' relates to such a service and has been used and promoted by the European Federation of Adapted Physical Activity from the early 1980s. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of APA services and needs in Europe and to introduce the European...
EXPLORING EXPERIENCES OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN SPECIAL SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH CEREBRAL PALSY: A QUALITATIVE PERSPECTIVE
Chunxiao Li, Shihui Chen
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 5, 7-17 (2012) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2012.001
Little is known about the physical activity (PA) experiences of school-aged students with cerebral palsy (CP) in both school and community settings. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the PA experiences from special school students with CP. Data were collected through face to face semi-structured interviews with 8 special school students with CP. Interviews were audio taped and converted to verbatim transcriptions and then analyzed using content analysis. The analysis led to four different themes related with participation of PA, which were: (a) sedentary behaviours; (b) enjoyment; (c) motivations; and (d) barriers. It was concluded...
PHYSICAL EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES IN THE SPECIAL EDUCATION AND GENERAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN GERMANY
Michaela Knoll, Friedhold Fediuk
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 5, 18-27 (2012) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2012.002
This article will present an overview concerning the development and the current status of special education services in Germany. This description will differentiate between physical education programs for students with a disability attending a special education school for their specific type of disability, and for those attending a general school together with students without a disability. Extracurricular physical activity programs are classified separately in the special education system in Germany. Due to the heterogeneity within a specific type of disability as well as between students with and without a disability, concepts for designing physical...
EVALUATING PERFORMANCE PROGRESSION IN BEGINNER WHEELCHAIR RUGBY
Judith Berzen, Yeshayahu Shayke Hutzler
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 5, 53-64 (2012) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2012.005
The purpose of this study was to describe the change in selected fitness and skill components over a nine-month period of a new intensive Wheelchair Rugby (WR) practice program. Sixteen WR players of the newly established national league participated in this intervention, which included team and individual practice sessions. Five items of the Beck Battery of Quad Rugby Skills and a 10-min wheelchair push test were performed at the beginning (t 1), after three months (t 2), and after an additional six months period of practice (t 3). Based on repeated measures t-tests for mean data of at least 50% of the participants, significant improvements were found...
STATIC BALANCE OF PERSONS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, VISUAL IMPAIRMENT AND WITHOUT DISABILITIES
Aija Klavina, Ilze Jekabsone
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 7, 50-57 (2014) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2014.004
This study aimed to compare static balance of students with severe intellectual disabilities (SID), visualimpairment (VI) and non-disabled (ND) persons 18-24 years of age. Eleven students with VI, nine with SIDand eleven ND students performed the One-Leg Stance balance test (10s). The Digital Balance Analyzer(DBA) platform was used to measure the Balance Index (range from 0 "excellent balance" to 10 "very poorbalance"). Subjects performed tests in open and closed eyes conditions. On right leg with open eyes resultsindicated statistically significant differences between both groups of students with disabilities and nondisabledstudents (p < .05),...
A CONTRIBUTION TO DESIGNING EFFECTIVE AND ENJOYABLE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAMS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA
Eluana Gomes, Tânia Bastos, Michel Probst, José Carlos Ribeiro, Gustavo Silva, Rui Corredeira
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 7, 24-31 (2014) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2014.008
Schizophrenia is one of the most debilitating diseases among psychiatric disorders. Additionally, these individuals present high mortality rates and sedentary lifestyles. Physical activity is an important factor for reducing morbidity and mortality among individuals with schizophrenia. However, to develop motivational strategies to increase the participation of individuals with schizophrenia in physical activity is necessary. The goal of this pilot study was to determine which type of physical activity (walking, dancing and small-sided games) is the most enjoyable and effective for individuals with schizophrenia. Nine outpatients with schizophrenia...
A cross-disciplinary comparison of published articles: Adapted physical activity and special education
Jihyun Lee, Justin A. Haegele
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 8, 7-20 (2015) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2015.001
Documentary analyses of adapted physical activity (APA) literature have been conducted whichdiscuss publication trends in the APA field (e.g., Karkeletsi, Skordilis, Evaggelinou, Grammatopoulou,& Spanaki, 2012; Porretta & Sherrill, 2005). However, few documentary analyses have compared those results with trends in other related fields, such as special education (SE). This study compares publication trends between APA and SE over a 10-year span. Primary journals from APA and SE, Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly (APAQ) and Exceptional Children (EC), respectively, wereselected for a comparative documentary analysis. A total of 455 articles...
Halliwick Concept of Swimming and its Influence on Motoric Competencies of Children with Severe Disabilities
Tereza Vaščáková, Martin Kudláček, Ursula Barrett
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 8, 44-49 (2015) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2015.008
The purpose of this study was to describe the influence of Halliwick concept of swimming on development of motor competencies of children with cerebral palsy and autism. Participants of this study were ten children with severe disabilities - cerebral palsy (CP) and autism (mean age 5.5 years). Aquatic skills were evaluated using Water orientation test (WOTA) created by Tirosh, Katz-Leurer and Getz (2008). Gross motor skills were evaluated using Gross motor function measure (GMFM) by Russell, Rosenbaum, Avery, &Lane (2002). Testing was done at the beginning and at the end of ten week Halliwick swimming intervention. Verbal evaluation was recorded...
Determinants of physical activity and lifestyle of Czech 11-15 years old students with visual impairments
Daniel Mikeška, Ondřej Ješina, Martin Kudláček, Zbyněk Janečka, Michal Kalman
European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity 9, 30-37 (2016) | DOI: 10.5507/euj.2016.008
This pilot study of lifestyle of 11-15 years old students with visual impairment is the spin-off project from longitudinalHBSC study (The Health Behavior in School Aged Children) entitled disHBSC. The aim of the study wasto analyze the determinants of physical activity and lifestyle of 11- to 15-year-old students with visual impairment,who are actively engaged in sports. The pilot study is based on original HBSC survey, which was adapted to meetspecific needs of children with visual impairments. DisHBSC survey contained 48 questions divided to the followingareas: demographical information, nutritional habits, physical activity and leisure, health,...