Investigating the participation of physically challenged students in physical education in colleges of education in the Volta Region

Abstract

The challenges associated with participating in Physical Education (P.E) define the resists associated with the willingness of physically challenged students to participate in practical P.E lessons. The purpose of this study was to investigate the participation of physically challenged students in the Colleges of Education in the Volta Region. The study used phenomenological research design to investigate the lived experiences of the physically challenged students on their participation in P.E and other co-curricular activities. Thirteen physically challenged students and eight P.E tutors participated in the study. Purposive sampling was used to sample respondents based on the insight and in-depth understanding of the experiences of the participants. The physically challenged students were in levels 200 and 300 within the 2019 and 2020 academic years. This method was most convenient and enabled the researcher to generate in-depth evidence about experiences lived by these students during their engagement in P.E and Sports. The study used a semistructured interview schedule with open-ended questions to collect data. The recorded data were transcribed, coded and themes formulated and analyzed using Haase’s adaptation of Colaizzi’s method. The results of the study show that physically challenged students appreciate their involvement in P.E and co-curricular activities. It was established that infrastructure, and equipment, societal perception and attitude, cultural norms inhibited their participation. It has been proven, teacher attitude is a key factor that had kept the student active in the participation of physical activities. The applied significance of this study lies in the fact that Colleges in the Volta Region will appreciate the difficulties faced by physically challenged students and will find ways to keep them active in the participation of physical activities in P.E lessons and co-curricular activities.