Bewegingsaktiwiteite as 'n moonlike sleutel tot emosionele en sosiale ontwikkeling vir rolstoelgebonde leerders

Abstract

The importance of the emotional and social development of a human being is highlighted by this research study, while the ability of the human spirit to transcend the human body has inspired the researcher to investigate movement activities as a potential key to the emotional and social development of wheelchair-bound learners. The researcher has chosen participation in wheelchair dancing to determine whether wheelchair-bound learners show development on emotional and social levels by investigating their intra- and interpersonal abilities before and after participating in wheelchair dancing. Intra- and interpersonal abilities are interdependent abilities and are regarded important components of emotional intelligence. In the interest of validity and reliability, the researcher used purposeful sampling in the selection of her participants. The participants had to meet certain requirements. She undertook a constructivist investigation, from an interpretive perspective, as a (primarily) qualitative study, with an interactive case study design and multimethod strategies. The smaller, quantitative component of the research study is the Piers-Harris Children’s Self-Concept Scale, Second Edition (Piers-Harris 2), which offers as pre- and post-test a baseline assessment for the participants’ emotional and social development in respect of self-concept. The theoretical approach for this study is a combination of the medical deficit model and the social model, with stronger emphasis on the development and healing approach of the social model, than on the deficit-and-control approach of the medical deficit model. The focus of the study is not on the constraints suffered by the wheelchair-bound learners, but rather on the possible development that may take place in the learners through their participation in movement activities. The researcher strongly relies on the social model in an attempt to gain understanding of the problems that wheelchair-bound learners currently experience in the education system, so that schools can be developed that would meet learners’ needs. The research results offer answers to the primary and secondary research questions and the general objective of this research study has been achieved. The researcher has determined that wheelchair-bound learners show emotional and social development after participation in movement activities. The emotional intelligence of all the participants has increased and each experienced increased self-actualisation since having participated in wheelchair dancing. The research results reflect more growth in respect of the learners’ intrapersonal abilities than in their interpersonal abilities. The researcher’s specific objectives would be achieved, when she submits the research results of this study to policy makers in the Department of Education, thus expanding the boundaries of existing knowledge about the relationship between wheelchair-bound learners’ participation in movement activities and their emotional and social development.

Die belangrikheid van die emosionele en sosiale ontwikkelingsgang in die mens se ontwikkeling word deur die navorsingstudie uitgelig, terwyl die vermoë van die menslike gees tot transendensie van die menslike liggaam, die navorser inspireer het om bewegingsaktiwiteite te ondersoek as ’n moontlike sleutel tot rolstoelgebonde leerders se emosionele en sosiale ontwikkeling. Die navorser het deelname aan rolstoeldanse gekies om te bepaal of rolstoelgebonde leerders op ’n emosionele en sosiale vlak ontwikkeling toon deur hul intra- en interpersoonlike vermoëns voor en ná deelname aan rolstoeldanse te ondersoek. Intra- en interpersoonlike vermoëns is interafhanklike vermoëns en word as belangrike komponente van emosionele intelligensie beskou. Die navorser het ’n doelgerigte steekproefneming gebruik in die seleksie van haar deelnemers om geldigheid en betroubaarheid in die hand te werk. Die deelnemers moes aan sekere vereistes voldoen. Sy loods ’n konstruktivistiese ondersoek vanuit ’n interpretivistiese perspektief as ’n (hoofsaaklik) kwalitatiewe ondersoek, met ’n interaktiewe gevallestudie-ontwerp en veelmetodestrategie. Die kleiner, kwantitatiewe komponent van die navorsingstudie is die Piers-Harris Children’s Self-Concept Scale, Second Edition (Piers-Harris 2). Dit bied, as voor- en nátoets, ’n basislynassessering vir die deelnemers se emosionele en sosiale ontwikkeling ten opsigte van selfkonsep. Die teoretiese raamwerk waaruit die navorser hierdie navorsingsprobleem benader, is ’n vermenging van die mediesetekort- en die sosiale model, met sterker klem op die ontwikkelings- en helende benadering van die sosiale model, as die tekortkominge-en-beheer-benadering van die mediesetekort-model. Die fokus van die studie is nie op rolstoelgebonde leerders se inperkinge nie, maar juis op die moontlike ontwikkeling wat deur hul deelname aan bewegingsaktiwiteite in die leerders mag plaasvind. Die navorser steun sterk op die sosiale model in ’n poging om begrip vir die probleme wat rolstoelgebonde leerders tans in die onderwys ervaar, te verkry, sodat skole ontwikkel kan word wat in leerderbehoeftes voorsien. Die navorsingsresultate bied antwoorde op die primêre en sekondêre navorsingsvrae en die algemene doelstelling van hierdie navorsingstudie is bereik. Die navorser het vasgestel dat rolstoelgebonde leerders, deur hul deelname aan bewegingsaktiwiteite, emosionele en sosiale ontwikkeling toon. Al die deelnemers se emosionele intelligensie het verhoog en almal beleef groter selfverwesenliking sedert hul deelname aan rolstoeldanse. Die navorsingsresultate weerspieël groter groei ten opsigte van die deelnemers se intrapersoonlike as hulle interpersoonlike vermoëns. Die navorser se spesifieke doelstellings word bereik, wanneer die navorser die navorsingsresultate van hierdie studie aan beleidmakers in die Departement van Onderwys voorlê en daardeur die grense van bestaande kennis omtrent die verband tussen rolstoelgebonde leerders se deelname aan bewegingsaktiwiteite en hul emosionele en sosiale ontwikkeling kan uitbrei.