| Summary |
The purpose of this thesis was to examine the relationship between physical activity levels of children (N = 24) with developmental disabilities in self-contained and inclusive classroom settings. This researcher hypothesized that there is a significant physical activity difference between children in a public education self-contained classroom and children in public education inclusive classrooms. Students' physical activity levels were monitored for four consecutive school days. Physical activity was measured via Yamax Digiwalker pedometer. An independent groups t-test was used to compare means between pedometer counts per minute in students in a self-contained classroom setting and students in an inclusive classroom setting. Cohen's delta (d) was calculated to provide an estimate of the size of the difference between groups. Although the difference between physical activity levels of children in self-contained and inclusive classroom settings was not statistically significant (p>0.05), the students in the inclusive setting were more active (3,796 ± 1,792 steps per day) than the students in the selfcontained classroom setting (2,858 ± 1,509 steps per day). The size of this difference was moderate (d = 0.57). The participants in the inclusive classroom setting were more physically active over the course of four school days than participants in a self-contained classroom setting. This could be a meaningful difference over the course of the school year. |
