The effectiveness of a puppetry intervention strategy on the acceptance of special children in a mainstream physical education setting
Date
1987
Authors
Hickson, Clive N.
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an intervention strategy on the attitude and behavior of normal children toward special children in a mainstream physical education setting.
The intervention strategy was the independent variable and was implemented in an attempt to promote positive attitudes and behaviors toward special children. The intervention strategy was in the form of a puppet presentation. Each class received two puppet shows. For Class A the scripts of both shows were related to ordinary life situations. Class B received a different format of shows. The first show was the same as Class A, however, the second show had a script which involved physical activity.
Two elementary school physical education classes were selected to participate in the study. Each of these classes contained two special needs children. All four children were diagnosed as being trainable mentally handicapped. A multiple baseline design, across classes, was used to examine the experimental effectiveness of the intervention strategy. Stable baselines were achieved before the implementation of the intervention with either class. Mean inter-observer agreement scores of 91.8% and 88.4% were calculated, by two methods of reliability, in the use of the coding procedure.
A live recording method of data collection was used for the observation of social behaviors during the physical education lessons. Lessons were observed over a six week period. A total of 12 lessons for Class A and 13 lessons for Class B were used in the data analyses.
The results indicated that the two interventions for each class were successful in changing the behavioral dependent variables. Increases in positive physical, positive verbal, neutral physical, and neutral verbal interactions were found during the post intervention stages of the study. Decreases were observed in negative physical, and negative verbal interactions during the post intervention phase for both classes.
The Singleton and Asher (1977) sociometric instrument was administered to the normal children for the collection of the attitudinal data. The questionnaire was administered to the children at the onset of the study, and again at the conclusion.
The attitude questionnaire indicated that throughout the study the special children were not rejected by their normal peers. The high acceptance of the special children during the pre intervention phase of the study limited the effect of the intervention. Significant changes were not found during the post intervention phase.
A follow-up study was also performed six weeks after the conclusion of the main phase of the study, to determine whether the attitude and behavior toward the special children had been maintained.
The follow-up phase of the study indicated that the attitudes and the behaviors of the normal children toward the special child had been maintained. This suggests that the intervention strategy did not change the already positive attitude of the normal children, but did increase the positive behavior toward the special child.
The physical activity related intervention strategy provided differing results than the ordinary life related intervention. While the post second intervention number of positive and neutral interactions increased, and remained constant for negative interactions for both classes, the effects of the intervention were most pronounced with Class B.
Class B received the physical activity related second intervention. Therefore, this suggests that the behavior of normal children in a physical education setting is best provided by a physical activity related intervention strategy. The study suggests that educators must attend to the promotion of both attitude and behavior to obtain the most beneficial mainstreamed environment for special children.