Table 1. Sample Units and Sample Size
Participation of children with disabilities in sports and cultural activities, programs, promotes physical, emotional, and social wellbeing. Co-curricular activities can make a huge difference in a life of children with special needs (CWSN). These activities can enhance learning, while offering ways for students to express themselves and explore their strengths. Out of home, to the Resource Room, (irrespective of their disability), to the playground, on the stage, facing the teachers, peers and at times general public also showing their talents, academic, and sporting prowess speaks volumes of the overall development of CWSN. Participation in cultural programmes and curricular activities is a source of inspiration and development of self-confidence. Behaviour which cannot be inculcated through academic activities can be developed through co-curricular activities and other recreational programs. Descriptive exploratory survey design was employed in the present study to answer the research questions. The findings of the present study revealed that children with special needs voluntarily participates in sports and cultural activities and CWSN are competent of performing with regular students in sports and recreational activities in areas such as Drawing, Music, Dance, and Sports, in preparation of illustrative aids as well. The impact of participation of CWSN in these activities on their development was reflected in; confidence in self leading to the development of self concept. The field observations and data revealed that, all the CWSN take part in sports and sports competitions and like to play indoor and outdoor games. It was recommended that Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) should divert some funds for preparing the playgrounds where CWSN can pursue their interest in sports like football, basket-ball, athletics, etc. and prepare for State and National level competitions. The impact of participation in sports, cultural, and co-curricular activities is evident in all-round development of the CWSN.
The National Focus Group on Children with Special Needs (National Council of Educational Research and Training, 2005) noted that the government's agenda to universalize elementary education, and its commitment to the Directive Principles of the Constitution, are guided by the recognition that a new universal system of education should be based on equity, the redressal of past imbalances, and the provision of access to quality education, especially for marginalized groups. To nurture all aspects of the personality, viz., cognitive, affective, and connotative-games, dance, drama, music, and art and craft must be given equal importance and value. Identifying suitable sports and other co-curricular activities for optimal development of learners with Special Educational Needs (SEN) is one of the major curricular issues emerged from in-depth analysis of discussions. For students with SEN, art education also acts as a healthy leisure activity. To gain access to these areas students may require alternative activities/opportunities, additional time, etc. Curricular components are important for students with special need and improve the following:
The benefits of physical activities are universal for all children, including children with special needs. The participation of children with disabilities in sports and recreational activities promotes inclusion, optimizes physical functioning, and enhances overall well-being. Despite these benefits, children with disabilities are more restricted in their participation, have lower levels of fitness, and have higher levels of obesity than their peers without disabilities.
Sport offers physical advantages - good blood circulation, stronger muscles, better balance, and coordination. Most educators believed that children with physical, sensory, or intellectual disabilities were so different that they could not participate in the activities of a common school (Advani, 2002). They may also have lower anger and stress scores than people with disabilities who are inactive. Studies and experiments (Dash, 1997) have indicated that most of the children with disabilities can play a number of games without any support or special effort. Little effort is needed to make the games adapted to children with visual and multiple disabilities.
Participating in sports can help instill a sense of selfconfidence and improve skills in relationship building and working as part of a team and it can help in weight management. This is a common problem among today's kids.
The benefits of regular physical activity are many:
A number of psychosocial benefits have been d o c umented in the literature, including the enhancement of pro-social behaviors, an increase in levels of maturity and social competence, a reduction in social and emotional problems, and an improvement of self-esteem (Lamb & Gulliford, 2011).
Singh (2001) reported differences in the educational needs of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN). She found that all the stakeholders, including children with SEN, opined that the curricula followed were not relevant. There was repetition in the content of the sciences, social sciences, and general knowledge. The excessive textual burden and the bulk of exercises in most of the subjects were also found to be irrelevant. The components of extracurricular and co-curricular activities, such as, games and sports, drawing and painting, craft and cultural activities should be an essential part of the curriculum.
Developing inclusive schools that cater to a wide range of pupils in both urban and rural areas requires: the articulation of a clear and forceful policy on inclusion together with adequate financial provision; an effective public information effort to combat prejudice and create informed and positive attitudes; an extensive programme of orientation and staff training; and the provision of necessary support services. Changes in all the following aspects of schooling, as well as many others, are necessary to contribute to the success of inclusive schools: curriculum, buildings, school organization, pedagogy, assessment, staffing, school ethos, and extracurricular activities (UNESCO, 1994).
Several studies have shown that sports enables individuals become self-sufficient, and maintain their lives, and gain social harmony (Gallahue,1987). The benefits of physical activity are universal for all children, including those with disabilities. The participation of children with disabilities in sports and recreational activities promotes inclusion, minimizes deconditioning, optimizes physical functioning, and enhances overall well-being (Murphy & Carbone, 2008). Consistent activity participation was associated with increases in interpersonal competence (Mahoney, Cairns, & Farmer, 2003). By playing games, children can develop their creative thinking and creative potential, and recognize the world around them more easily, and this way they become more interested, talkative, and friendly (DePauw, & Gavron, 1995). Kızar, Dalkılıç, Uçan, Mamak, and Yiğit (2005), in their work quoted that, sport is one of the best methods utilized to socialize, develop belonging feeling, integrate into society, and overcome loneliness, feelings of visually handicapped, like all other individuals. Sport is one of the best methods utilized to socialize, develop belonging feeling, integrate into society, and overcome loneliness, feelings of visually handicapped, like all other individuals. The benefits of sport for development aim to go beyond individual level physical and mental health with programmes seeking to develop people and communities through sport (Khoo, Schulenkorf, & Adair, 2014).
Sports for development programmes which enable people with and without disability to come together in a positive social environment is thought to promote inclusion and empowerment by challenging negative beliefs about the capabilities of people with disabilities (Ashton-Shaeffer, Gibson, Autry, & Hansen, 2001). Meaningful participation of children or youth with disabilities is particularly important for their learning, development, and motivation to achieve social inclusion, all of which can have a significant impact on a child's present and future quality of life (Bedell, 2009; Raghavendra, Olsson, Sampson, McInerney, & Connell, 2012).
The process of acquiring social skills continues as children participate in different interactions that reinforce positive social behaviors (Zarbatany, Hartmann & Rankin, 1990). Fletcher, Nickerson, and Wright (2003) examined the relationship between extracurricular activities and the adjustment of fourth grade students. Involvement in extracurricular activities was predictive of higher teacher ratings of academic competence.
Participation in sports activities in particular was associated with higher ratings of social maturity and competence. Previous research conducted on individuals with disabilities demonstrates lower levels of physical activity compared to those without disabilities (Arim, Findlay, & Kohen, 2012). Ensuring child's interest in the activities is essential, as lack of interest has been shown to be a barrier to children with disabilities engaging in physical activity (Yazdani, Yee, & Chung, 2013). However, some of the findings suggest that continued participation in sports activities has resulted in a positive influence on the functional well being of adolescents with intellectual disability (Ghosh & Datta, 2012; Patel & Greydanus, 2002). Sports participation enhances the psychological wellbeing of children with disabilities through the provision of opportunities to form friendships, express creativity, develop a self-identity, and foster meaning and purpose in life (Dykens, Rosner, & Butterbaugh, 1998).
Parents of Special Olympians reported that their child's participation promoted social adjustment, life satisfaction, family support, and community involvement (Klein, Gilman, & Zigler, 1993). Given the potential for extracurricular activity participation to influence positive gains in social relationships (Liptak & Revell, 1989; Fletcher, Nickerson, & Wright, 2003). Health Encyclopedia (n.d.) mentions:”Participating in sports can help boost selfconfidence. It can also improve skills in relationship building and working as part of a team. And it can help in managing weight. This is a common problem among today's kids”.
The descriptive exploratory survey design was employed in this study. As per design of the study, the evaluation of inclusive education was done in 12 districts i.e. Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka, Mukatsar, Patiala, Ropar, and Ludhiana.
The location and distance of a particular block in a district varied from 1-2 to 60 Kms as well. This made the selection of required number of schools to be representative of the district quite cumbersome. Since the study was to be conducted in schools where the Resource Rooms were available, the selection of schools became purposive in nature, combined with the technique of random selection out of the entire list of schools in a community development block (Table1).
Table 1. Sample Units and Sample Size
Thus, sampling techniques involved a combination of purposive and random selection of schools.
To seek answers to research questions, interview schedules-cum - questionnaires were administered to the following personnel during the field study:
Table 2 portrays district wise number of schools sampled for the study.
Table 2. District by Block wise Sampled Schools
For conducting interviews appropriate interview schedules cum questionnaires were prepared for each of the concerned personnel. A brief description of the data gathering tools is presented here.
In order to study the attitude of peers in acceptance of differently abled children in regular classrooms, some questions were framed for peers, regular class-room children; and also similar questions were asked from the resource room children about the attitude of peers towards them in accepting them as friends, to corroborate the data.
The focus of interaction with the regular classroom teacher was to assess their attitude in acceptance of CWSN and their views about the importance and benefits of inclusive education in general, and about mainstreaming of CWSN in particular. Along with this to assess the efforts made by them to provide necessary support to mainstreamed CWSN by using need specific strategies in accordance with the objectives of inclusive education to help them master the concepts; and about challenges faced by them in mainstreaming the CWSN were also discussed.
In accordance with research questions about the study, the data had to be collected various sources and in varied form, such as statistical data; interaction/interviews with concerned personnel; and focus group discussions.
In order to corroborate information gathered from the peers, regarding their role and attitude towards the CWSN, an interaction was also held with the CWSN. A few questions addressed both peers as well as the CWSN, while some questions were relevant only to the CWSN.
The focus of inclusive education is on providing education to all students including CWSN in an environment most suited to his/her learning needs. In order to assess whether the CWSN enjoy friendly environment, the questions were framed accordingly to,
Gender: Out of 89 children with disabilities, there were 53 boys (59.6%) and 36 girls (40.4%) who comprised the sample of children with special needs.
Class wise: There were 71 (79.8%) children in primary classes, 17 (19.1%) in upper primary and one child in class IX in the sample.
Age Range: The age of CWSN ranged from below 5 to 18 years, as there was one case below five years of age. 24(26.9%) children were in the age a group of 5-10 years, 53 children (59.6%) represented 11 to 15 years of age, and 12 (13.5%) children were in the age group of 16-18 years of age.
Age wise in the entire sample there was one child below five and one above 18 years of age, whereas 53 (59.6%) nearly 60% of CWSN were in the age group of 5 to 15 years.
From among the 89 children, there were almost all categories of disability as reflected in the Table 3.
Table 3. Background / Bio-Data of CWSN / Type of Disability
Out of 89 children, the maximum number enrolled in schools were from the category of Mental Retardation (MR) i.e. 61 (68.5%), followed by 10% children with Multiple Disability (MD). Then there were 11 (12.35%) of Hearing impaired (HI) children. Out of the remaining children, they represented other challenges such as Visual Impairment (VI)-3, Cerebral Palsy (CP)-2, and Learning Deficiency (LD)- 3 children.
The data collected from numerous sources required simple statistical treatment such as, frequencies and percentage. After statistical handling data were tabulated followed by discussions.
Research Question 1: To what extent children with special need participate in in extracurricular activities, sports activities, and cultural programmes what is the role and impact of participation?
Responses to the question “Mark whether the children with special needs participate in sports and cultural activities voluntarily or they need encouragement” are listed in Table 4.
Table 4. Participation of Children in Sports and Cultural Programmes
The CWSN participated in the sports and cultural activities voluntarily, according to 31 (52.5%) volunteers. Some of them needed encouragement according to 14 (23.7%) of the volunteers. While 14 (23.7%) mentioned that CWSN need encouragement while their participation was voluntary.
Like children without disability, the CWSN also have natural tendencies towards recreational activities as they like to play games and participate in cultural activities as well.
In order to assess whether CWSN are also interested in participating sports, cultural programmes and cocurricular activities a few questions were framed accordingly:
Q: Mention the sports and games you like to play and participate in them.
Q: Mention the cultural and curricular activities you like to participate.
Q: Tell us about your hobbies.
The responses to all these questions have been recorded in Table 5 to follows:
Table 5. Participation in Games and Sports
Like to Play Outdoor Games: While 39 (43.8%) of children like to play ball related games such as basket ball, foot ball, base ball and also, hopscotch and cricket, 17 (19.1%) of them like athletics such as long and high jump, races etc.
Indoor Games: From among the indoor games 9 (10.1%) children liked to play with the available material in their Recreation/Resource room, such as Carrom board, building blocks, Abacus, Flash Cards, along with playing games on mobiles.
Mix of Indoor/outdoor Games: 17(19.1%) of CWSN expressed their interest in playing both indoor and outdoor games.
But 7(7.9%) of children were not interested in games and sports as is reflected in their responses.
Participation in Cultural Activities: Barring 41(46.1%) of children who did not participate in cultural activities, from among others, 10(11.2%) of them liked to participate in music, 29(32.5%) in dance, 3 (3.4%) in poetic-recitation, one in fancy dress, and 5(5.6) percent of them liked to participate in drawing competitions as well.
Hobbies: The CWSN have mentioned, a wide range of hobbies ranging from drawing 23 (25.8%); music 18 (20.2%); dance 5 (5.6%); study 7(7.9%); to reading news 4 (4.5%); and cooking as well 4 (4.5%) and 25 (28.1%) of CWSN their main hobby was sports. All the 89 (100%) children, reported to have their special hobbies.
The participation of CWSN in sports, games, cultural programmes, and curricular activities leading to cultivate recreational and academic type of hobbies like studying, drawing, news reading etc is self explanatory regarding the impact of these activities on the development of CWSN.
Participation in games and sports helps in physical fitness of the children along with the spirit of sportsmanship in competitions, irrespective of winning or losing the games they had the sense of 'we' feeling. No wonder such children would participate and win in the Olympics as well.
Participation in cultural programmes and curricular activities is an outlet for one's emotional expression and social interaction, a source of inspiration and development of self-confidence.
The very fact that the CWSN come on the stage and face the audience, teachers and the peers, and exhibit a lot courage, particularly when they take part in competitive programmes such as poetry recitation, fancy dress competition, and music and drawing competitions, etc.
Taking part in cultural programmes such as Giddha, Bhangra, celebration of special days such as Independence Day, Republic Day, World Disability Day, Celebration of festivals, etc., is the major source for the development of creative abilities in them.
Although in cultural programmes and curricular activities only 48 out of 89 CWSN took part, all 89 mentioned a vast range of their hobbies.
The impact of participation in sports, cultural, and cocurricular activities are evident in all-round development of the CWSN.
Playgrounds were found in 32 (48.5%) schools, but some of these were not in good condition.
By and large, infrastructural facilities in most of the schools for regular school children were quite up to the mark.
Responses to the question “According to you, are CWSN capable of competing with regular students in curricular and co-curricular activities, if yes, mention the programme / activities they have participated in school” by the teachers are mentioned below:
About 90% of teachers affirmed that the CWSN are capable of performing at par with regular students in sports and recreational activities, as reported in the Table 6.
Table 6. Capability of CSWN Students Competing with Regular Students
According to 12 (19%) teachers, the CWSN took part in dance when the cultural programme was organized in the school.
13 (20.6%) of them mentioned about their performance in Giddha/Bhangra on World Disability Day.
In other functions organised in the school such as celebration of Diwali, Lohri, etc., they took part in singing, skits, music as reported by 27 (39.7%) teachers.
There were no response from 11(17.4%) teachers to this question.
The performance of CWSN in co-curricular activities, though it is stated by teachers in case of 19% to 39.7% of the children only, still it is quite encouraging.
Moreover, 39.7% of the teachers also mentioned that the CWSN are capable of performing better than their counterparts in regular education students in such areas as drawing, music, dance, sports, and in the preparation of illustrative aids as well.
Besides their participation in school activities, it was observed (in Amritsar especially) that the special children were prepared by the media to be professionals in their basic talents such as music; dance; and choreography (as in Mukatsar). Other than that, they competed in the National level Anjali festival held in Bhubaneshwar (Orissa), and the CWSN of Mukatsar got prize in skit.
Research Question 2: What is the attitude of peers towards CWSN in the regular classroom?
As far as acceptance of CWSN by peers is concerned, more than 90% reflect positive attitude towards special need children, as is obvious from Table 7.
Table 7. Acceptance of CWSN by Peers
The data reveal that as far as acceptance of CWSN by peers is concerned 90 to 100% of them accept willingly to be with them in regular classrooms, play grounds, lunch time like their other friends.
4.5.1 Success Story 1
Sneha is a daughter of Karnail Singh and Gurpreet Kaur, 11 years old is enrolled at Pehal Government Special Resource Centre, Amritsar, India. She has Cerebral Palsy and degree of disability was 80%. She was identified by IERT Rachna and IEV Meenu Rani during the survey. She was a bedridden child. After convincing her parents, Sneha was provided home based education. Sneha participated in many sports activities and wins so many medals in various competitions. Sneha has participated in various Drawing Competitions at district level. Sneha has participated in “Asi V Padhna Chahunde AA” choreographed by vocational teachers at district and state level and nominated as best artist.
4.5.2 Success Story 2
Anita Rani daughter of Rajpal is resident of Kot kapura Faridkot, Punjab, India. She has participated in the district level cultural programme and a painting competition. She has also participated in district level special games in two events and was winner in both events.
4.5.3 Success Story 3
Manpreet Kaur daughter of Jasveer Singh is resident of Rulia Singh Nagar Bargari, Jaitu, Faridkot, Punjab, India. She has participated in the district level cultural programme and a painting competition. She has also participated in district level special games in two events and was winner in both events. She has participated in international level Anjali Fesival, Orrisa, November 2017. She has participated held at state level MYAS games held at Patiala and won First Prize in 100 m dash ash and 200 m dash.
4.5.4 Success Story 4
Ritu Kaur daughter of Ranjeet Singh is resident of Rulia Singh Nagar Bargari, Jaitu, Faridkot, Punjab, India. She has participated in the district level cultural programme and a painting competition. She has also participated in district level special games in two events and was winner in both events. She has also participated in international level Anjali Fesival, Orrisa, November 2017 and at District level MYAS games in Faridkot and won first prize in 200 m dash and running long jump.
Research Question 3: What is the present status of Playgrounds and funds for sports for CWSN in the state of Punjab?
SSA gives importance to the inclusion of sports, culture and arts in the educational system for the harmonious development of children. Among various services for CWSN, SSA is unable to provide all of its services equally in every district. One lacuna obser ved in the implementation of the inclusive education scheme is, funds are not allocated by SSA for playgrounds, sports, arts, and culture. The need of the hour is to revamp and revitalize the same to make it more effective and impactful for all CWSN in every district.
To strengthen the process of inclusion, following responses were obtained
As far as the implementation of the policy and stated objectives is concerned, gap has been observed after evaluation pertaining to:
Gap: Necessary infrastructure for accessibility and conducive environment for CWSN. The provision of playgrounds was in 32 (48.5%) schools only, but these too were not designed scientifically from the point of view of CWSN to make them user friendly.
The findings of the present study revealed that the impact of participation in sports, cultural and co-curricular activities are evident in all-round development of the CWSN. Murphy and Carbone (2008) found that participation of children with disabilities in sports and physical activity programs, promotes physical, emotional, and social wellbeing. Prior study conducted by Khoo, Schulenkorf and Adair, (2014) supports the findings of the study indicating sports and cultural activities can be a powerful transformative tool for developing confidence among CWSN in self leading to the development of self concept and self esteem improving the overall status of people with disabilities within society. With the growing recognition and utilization of sport as a tool for development, continual sharing of experiences of how sport can encourage inclusive development should be emphasized among people with disabilities (United Nations, 2015; GPcwd, 2015).
All children have a natural desire and curiosity to play, to sing and dance. The children with challenges have also tendencies towards recreational activities as they like to play games, and also participate in cultural programmes. Apart from that, they have cultivated hobbies and interests in various fields. The society should understand the benefits of the participation of children with disabilities in sports and physical activities. The benefits of physical activity are universal for all children, including those with disabilities. Further literature supports that the participation of children with disabilities in sports and recreational activities promotes inclusion, minimizes deconditioning, optimizes physical functioning, and enhances overall wellbeing (Murphy & Carbone, 2008). Consistent active participation was associated with increase in interpersonal competence (Mahoney, Cairns, & Farmer, 2003). Children can develop their creative thinking and creative potential by playing games. They recognize the world around them more easily, and this way becomes more interested, talkative, and friendly and interact with the society.
From the results, all the 89 CWSN have cultivated a large number of hobbies and interests in drawing, listening music, sports, dance, study, cooking, news reading, etc. The impact of participation of CWSN in these activities on their development is in aggreement with the study conducted by Ghosh and Datta (2012) which suggested that continued participation in sports activities resulted in a positive influence on the functional well being of adolescents with ID. Participation in sports enhances the psychological well-being of children with disabilities through the provision of opportunities to form friendships, express creativity, develop a self-identity, and foster meaning and purpose in life. Participation in regular physical activity can foster independence, coping abilities, competitiveness, and teamwork among children with disabilities. The benefits of physical activity are universal for all children, including those with disabilities. Weiss, Diamond, Demark, and Lovald (2003) also affirmed that parents of special olympians reported that their child's participation promoted social adjustment, life satisfaction, family support, and community involvement.
Voluntary participation as well as participation with encouragement in sports and cultural programmes by 48 i.e. (53.9%) of them. The CWSN participated in activities such as music, dance, fancy dress etc., on special days like State level World Disability Day by (32.3%), Independence Day, Republic Day celebration and celebration of festivals by (59.9%). Their participation in school recreational activities such as Giddha, Bhangra, skits, etc., enabled them to overcome their inhibitions. Previous researches has also confirmed that adaptive sports participation has provided a forum for individuals with disabilities to challenge negative attitudes and promote empowerment (Ashton-Shaeffer, Gibson, Autry, & Hansen, 2001).
The field observations and data reveal that, except 7 CWSN, all the rest of them took part in sports competitions and like to play indoor and outdoor games.
In view of the keen interest of CWSN in games and sports, and the fact they have limited capabilities to excel in academics, every possible effort to be made to help them to pursue their interest in sports like football, basketball, athletics, etc and prepare them for state/national level competitions.
Out of home, from the Resource Room (irrespective of their disability), to the play ground, on the stage, facing the teachers, peers and at times exhibility their talents to general public, academic and sporting prowess speaks volumes of the overall development of CWSN. The CWSN participated in games, sports and cultural activities, cultivated a wide range of hobbies has positive impact on the overall development of CWSN, leading to enhancement of self-concept and self-image, and confidence in facing the public. The encouragement of CWSN in school recreational activities enabled them to overcome their inhibitions. These activities further refined their social skills in the company of non-challenged students. 90% of regular teachers endorsed that the CWSN were capable of performing at par with regular students, sometimes even better than them in sports and recreational activities. The role and impact of sports and cultural activities builds self-esteem by giving them a sense of inclusive connection and accomplishment.