Social Interaction between Students with and without Disabilities in General Physical Education: A Chinese Perspective

Based on the social model of disability, this study examined the social interactions between students with and without disabilities in general PE in the Chinese context and identified contextual factors that may determine... [ view full abstract ]

Based on the social model of disability, this study examined the social interactions between students with and without disabilities in general PE in the Chinese context and identified contextual factors that may determine their social interaction. A mixed-methods design was utilized to explore the social interactions between the students with and without disabilities. One student with autism, 2 students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, their 42 classmates without disabilities (17 females and 25 males), and their PE teacher participated in the study. The participants attended a government-granted school in the Yangpu district of Shanghai. Multiple data collection strategies, including the survey of demographic data, systematic observation, non-participant observation, individual semi-structured interviews, and semi-structured focus group interviews, were used in this study for different purposes. Mean data, including the frequency of occurrence and percentage of time, were used to describe the social interaction behaviors between students with and without disabilities. Qualitative data were reduced, categorized, and thematized by the procedures outlined by Merriam (2009). The results of the study showed that the students with disabilities in a middle school in Shanghai indicated almost no social interactions with their classmates without disabilities in general PE classes. Based on the social model of disability, contextual factors such as emphasis on differences, conflicted attitudes toward social interaction, and individual class activities acted as social barriers for inclusion and determined the limited social interaction. These limited interactions between students with and without disabilities included social talk, demonstration, and assistance. The frequency of social interactions among students with disabilities was also slightly higher than their interactions with peers without disabilities. In addition, the findings advanced the social model of disability as a useful way to mediate negative responses to difference.