School-Based Physical Activity Levels and Quality of Physical Education Participation Experiences of Children with Physical and Sensory Disabilities Living in British Columbia, Canada

Aleksandra Jevdjevic (), Kelly P. Arbour-Nicitopoulos, Kathleen A. Martin Ginis and Christine Voss ()
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Aleksandra Jevdjevic: School of Health and Exercise Sciences, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
Kelly P. Arbour-Nicitopoulos: Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
Kathleen A. Martin Ginis: School of Health and Exercise Sciences, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
Christine Voss: Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada

Disabilities, 2025, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: This mixed-methods study examined school-based physical activity (PA) and the quality of physical education (PE) experiences for children with physical or sensory disabilities. The participants included 10 children (4 girls, 6 boys) with a mean age of 10 years, 5 of whom had sensory disabilities, and 5 of whom had physical disabilities. PA was measured using accelerometry over a 7-day period. Semi-structured interviews explored the children’s experiences in PE classes. Interview data were deductively coded using the Quality Participation Framework to identify examples of autonomy, belongingness, challenge, engagement, mastery, and meaning. On average, children engaged in 17 min per day (standard deviation (SD) = 16) of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) during school, and 5 min of MVPA (SD = 6) during PE classes. Most children did not meet the provincial policy of 30 min per day of school-based MVPA. Children reported both positive and negative examples of autonomy, belongingness, challenge, engagement, and mastery, and positive experiences of meaning. Overall, children with physical or sensory disabilities accumulate minimal MVPA during school and have mixed-quality participation experiences in PE. These insights can guide efforts to enhance both the quantity of school-based MVPA and the quality of participation in PE for children with disabilities.

Keywords: accelerometry; quality participation; pediatrics; belonging; mastery; autonomy; challenge; engagement; meaning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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