Examining Attitude Change Following Participation in an International Adaptive Sports Training

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18666/TRJ-2020-V54-I3-10112

Keywords:

Adaptive sport, attitudes, disability, international programs, recreational therapy

Abstract

Adaptive sports participation has been found to benefit participants physically, emotionally, cognitively, and psychologically. These sports may also serve as a vehicle to combat society’s negative attitudes toward individuals with disabilities. To further explore this possibility, the purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of an international adaptive sport training on Thai college student and professor attitudes toward individuals with physical disabilities. Twenty-one participants completed the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale toward Persons with Disabilities (MAS). A series of one-way RM ANOVAs and descriptive statistics were utilized to compare participant scores across time. Findings indicated that there were no significant changes in attitudes as measured by the MAS. Measurement and program design issues are considered. More work is needed to develop an appropriate tool to evaluate changing attitudes. Implications for research and recreational therapy practice are discussed.

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Author Biographies

Jasmine Townsend, Clemson University

Jasmine Townsend is an Assistant Professor in Recreational Therapy at Clemson University. Her primary research area focuses on the health outcomes of RT and adaptive sport for military service members and their families.

Garrett A. Stone, Vancouver Island University

Garrett A. Stone is a Professor of Recreation and Tourism Management at Vancouver Island University. Garrett’s current research predominately focuses on the transformative nature of travel and tourism experiences and education, but has included work in therapeutic recreation with emphases in youth development, youth sport, and outdoor-adventure recreation.

Elizabeth Murphy, Brooks Rehabilitation

Elizabeth Murphy is a CTRS, and currently the director of adaptive sports at Brooks Rehabilitation in Daytona Beach FL.

Brandi M. Crowe, Clemson University

Brandi M. Crowe, Ph.D., LRT/CTRS is an assistant professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management's Recreational Therapy program at Clemson University. Her research interests include the role of leisure within stress/coping processes, the use of complementary and alternative medicine as treatment for individuals with disabling conditions, and adaptive sports.

Brent L. Hawkins, University of North Carolina Wilmington

Brent L. Hawkins, PhD, CTRS, Associate Professor of Recreation Therapy, School of Health and Applied Human Sciences, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina  

His research interests focus on contextual factors related to community reintegration of injured military service members.

Lauren Duffy, Clemson University

Lauren Duffy is an Assistant Professor in Travel and Tourism within the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management at Clemson University. Her research interests include power and ideology in tourism planning, social and environmental justice, and critical pedagogy in the classroom. In the international context, her past and current research program includes working with communities in Chile, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, South Africa, and Zambia. Her research also explores the impact of cross-cultural exchanges, highlighting the importance of learning from, and with, people across the world.

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Published

2020-08-18

Issue

Vol. 54 No. 3 (2020)

Section

Research Papers

License

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