P articipation of Students with Special Needs In Extracurricular Activities
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Date
2006-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The major purposes of this study were assessing the level of participation of
students with special needs in extra curricular activities, identifying factors that
affect their participation and problems that regular teachers face to include
students with disabilities in extracurricular activities. To achieve the pUlposes
descriptive survey method was applied. In the study, 3 groups of samples
encompassing 53 regular teachers, 56 students without special needs and 34
students with special needs participated.
Observation guide and questionnaire were the instntments u sed to collect data.
Analysis was made both quantitatively and qualitatively. Both quantitatiue and
qualitative analyses of data revealed that majority of students with special
needs are kept out of extracurricular participation. The t-test employed showed
statistically significant difference in the pm1icipation between the speciC/1 need
and the non- special n eed groups, in which special need students were in lower
leuel of pm1icipation. Nevertheless, no significant difference was found between
male and female s tudent within the special n eed group.
In the attempt to identify factors affecting students' pm1icipation lack of interest
by themselves, discouraging attitude from non-special need peers, lack of
initiation (interest) from the teachers to include them in such activities , lack of
time and less suitability of activities practiced in schools to their participation
were identified a s the stumbling blocks in their participation. Regarding the
problems faced by teache rs in including students with special needs to
pm1icipation in extracurricular activities lack of proper tmining, absence of
guiding material, lo w interest and lack of awareness from students, schools'
inability to provide material aid to thes e pupils and lack of suppol1 to teachers'
effol1 were identified as impeding factors.
Based on the finding s some pragmatic measures were suggested to improve the
participation of students with special needs ill extracun-icular activities, which
can e nhance the growth and development of these children.
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Keywords
special needs in extra curricular activities,