EVALUATION OF THE CONTENT AND PRACTICES OF THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION LESSONS FOR THE MENTALLY DISABLED

45668

Educational content and practices are extremely important in order to provide a healthier physical and mental life for individuals with disabilities and to facilite their adaptation to social life. The aim of this study is to evaluate the content, practices and problems of the physical education curriculum for the mentally disabled individuals considering opinions of the teachers and expectations related to the lesson. Elementary school teachers of mentally disabled students in 1 to 8 grades in education and practice schools of the Ministry of National Education in Zonguldak province (n=41) during the 2016-2017 Academic Year participated in the study. A questionnaire consisting of 38 items, which was developed by two researchers who were experts in their fields, was given to the participants. Percentage, frequency and arithmetic mean were used in data analysis. As a result of the study, it was found that learning outcomes of physical education program were suitable for students’ physical development the most, while outcomes for students and the family were few. It was found that the content of the program is important for school life; however, it has no diversity for children with different levels of disability. It was found that the teachers used games in their practices, they performed clear and understandable practices by giving examples that children could understand; however, they were also found to experience inconsistencies in content and application, although partially, and at the same time experience problems in terms of equipment. As a conclusion, it was found that there are some problems in the content and practice areas of physical education lessons for mentally disabled individuals.

235

Physical education , mentally disabled , education program

Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi

242

Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi