Browsing by Subject "erityisliikunta"

Previous studies have shown, that disabled children exercise less than their coevals. There are also less opportunities for them to participate in various hobbies. Previous studies have also shown, that the motivation of the disabled children to exercise may be reduced by for example negative attitudes towards them, by too difficult tasks or by inadequate guidance. Purpose of this study is to find out how boys with special needs feel about their hobby, which is track and field. This study will also show what kind of motivational aspects can be found in their answers about exercises. This study is a qualitative case study following the guidelines of both phenomenological and hermeneutic research traditions. The research was made in 2011-2012 in a group intended for children with special needs. The group was established by a sports club in the metropolitan area and the researcher worked as a coach in this group. The research group consisted of four boys who were from 8 to 10 years old at the time. The research material was collected by observing and interviewing. The interviews were processed with data-driven content analysis. The focus of this study is not to generalize but to narrate the experiences of these four boys. The results show strong commitment to the hobby. The four boys remembered well all the exercises they had made and they talked about them in a very positive way. The key motivational aspects were individual guidance, constant stimulation and safe atmosphere. Competitiveness was seen as a motivational aspect in some of the answers. The small size of the group made it possible to notice the special needs of each boy. The results were similar to those of the previous studies.