Optimizing the Educational Process for Students in Special Schools - Study on the Development of Static and Dynamic Balance through Activation and Toning of the Core Area in Physical Education Lessons

Carmen Pârvu (), Cătălina Mârșiu () and Dan-Alexandru Szabo ()
Additional contact information
Carmen Pârvu: “Dunărea de Jos†University, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, Galați,
Cătălina Mârșiu: The Special Vocational School "Emil Gârleanu", Galați, Romania
Dan-Alexandru Szabo: Department of Human Movement Sciences, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Târgu Mureș, Târgu Mureș, Romania

Research & Education, 2023, issue 9, 12-34

Abstract: The study assessed the impact of core activation and toning programs on the static and dynamic balance of students with special educational needs (SEN) in middle school physical education classes. We found that over a period of 6 weeks, with 2 lessons per week, these programs led to significant improvements in the students' balance, regardless of the type of disability. Students with visual impairments and sedentary lifestyles showed the greatest progress. Somatic and functional measurements were conducted on the 15 students with special needs, and 9 tests (Bass Test, Flamingo Test, Functional Reach Test, Unipodal Test with left eye closed, Unipodal Test with right eye closed, Unipodal Test with left eye open, Unipodal Test with right eye open, Y-Balance Test left, Y-Balance Test right) were administered to assess static and dynamic balance. After implementing the core activation and toning program, a correlation analysis between the two variables was conducted, followed by the calculation of the t-test for paired samples to assess if there were significant differences between the two sets of measurements and tests. DOI: 10.56177/red.9.2023.art.8 RESEARCH AND EDUCATION Nr. 9 / 2023 ISSN 2559-2033 ISSN–L 2559-2033 www.researchandeducation.ro 13 After 6 weeks of using core activation and toning exercises with a frequency of 2 lessons per week for students with special needs, we observed a favourable increase in both static and dynamic balance for six pairs of tests. The differences were statistically significant at a significance level of 0.05 out of the 9 tests conducted. Proprioceptive stimulation played a crucial role in these improvements in static and dynamic balance among those with various types of disabilities (intellectual, visual, and auditory). We recommend incorporating core activation and toning programs into physical education for children with disabilities to enhance muscle tone and balance. However, the small sample size reminds us that data generalization should be done with caution, and we suggest conducting further studies with a larger number of participants and a longer training duration. This study emphasizes the importance of balance development among students with SEN and the potential benefits of a core-focused approach in middle school physical education.

Keywords: special education system; students’ development; static balance; development program; physical education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I20 I21 I24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://researchandeducation.ro/wp-content/uploads ... _Schools_REd_nr9.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aai:journl:y:2023:i:9:p:12-34

Access Statistics for this article

Research & Education is currently edited by Aluculesei Alina-Cerasela

More articles in Research & Education from Weik Press SRL
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Bogdana-Alexandra Năstasă ().