Effectiveness of an undergraduate course on the self-efficacy of Spanish sports sciences university students for the inclusion of individuals with disabilities

Abstract

This study assessed the self-efficacy gains of higher education students concerning the inclusion of people with disabilities throughout the delivery of a face-to-face training course (four months, 28 sessions of two hours each). The sample comprised 158 sports sciences undergraduates (109 intervention group, 49 control group; 69.4% males, 31.6% females) from two Spanish universities: 77% did not know about adapted physical activity or para-sport before the course was delivered. The course was based on three blocks: 1) concepts of adapted physical activity and disability awareness; 2) inclusion in physical education; and 3) para-sports, including teaching about the Paralympics and other para-sports. Simulation was a main teaching strategy across the content blocks—i.e. limitations of body functions, simulating inclusive physical education settings, or practising different para-sports. Significant improvements were found in participants’ perception of self-efficacy when responding in a physical education scenario that requires the inclusion of an individual with an intellectual, physical, or visual disability (p < 0.01, moderate-to-large effect sizes). An undergraduate course that combines information, different types of contact with people with disabilities, and simulation seems effective to improve SE among pre-service physical educators in relation to the inclusion in their sessions of students with disabilities.