Publication Date

1985

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Zimmerman, M. Nadine

Degree Name

M.S. Ed. (Master of Education)

Legacy Department

Department of Physical Education

LCSH

Motor ability in children; Physical education for handicapped children; Education; Preschool

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of a 10-week adapted physical education program on selected gross motor skills of preschool handicapped children. Subjects for the study were 38 preschool children, 24 boys and 14 girls, ranging in age from 41 to 71 months. All were enrolled in early childhood special education programs provided by the Proviso Area for Exceptional Children in Westchester, Illinois and the DeKalb County Special Education Association in Genoa, Illinois. Twenty of the subjects participated in a 10-week adapted physical education training program designed and implemented by a specialist in the field. Eighteen subjects served as a control group receiving no formal physical education instruction. The Peabody Developmental Motor Scales were used as a pre- and posttest measure of selected gross motor skills for both groups. The 10-week adapted physical education program consisted of 20 sessions, each 30 minutes in length. Instruction was based on objectives designed to enhance the development of fundamental gross motor skills with emphasis on the developmental sequences of the skills. Each session consisted of a brief warm-up period, followed by instruction and practice, and ended with a skill reinforcing activity. Data collected on the two groups were subjected to an analysis of covariance. Results indicated a significant improvement in gross motor performance of the group that participated in the adapted physical education training program, F(1, 35) = 14.36, p < .001). The evidence produced by this study demonstrates that gross motor training intervention can be beneficial to skill development. It was concluded that handicapped children, with appropriate training, can improve in gross motor skills during the preschool years.

Comments

Bibliography: pages [37]-40.

Extent

v, 59 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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