Evaluation of “Sport for the Strong” – A project for the integration of children and adolescents with special educational needs into club sports

Bibliographic Data

ID17554649
AuthorsLisa Affengruber (0000-0002-7721-8732, Universität für Weiterbildung Krems, corresponding author), Ludwig Grillich (0000-0002-4202-1382, Universität für Weiterbildung Krems), Marie-Thérèse Schultes (0000-0002-1593-3247, Zimmer Biomet (Netherlands)), Isolde Sommer (0000-0001-9832-0798, Universität für Weiterbildung Krems)
Year2025
Volume114
Pages102700-102700
Publication date2025-09-09
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEvaluation and Program Planning (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0149-7189 • E-ISSN: 1873-7870
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2025.102700
PMID40967082
OpenAlexW4414173656
LanguageEN
References cited23

BACKGROUND: Research shows that children and adolescents with disabilities have significantly lower levels of physical activity than their nondisabled peers. The project "Sport for the Strong" aimed to familiarize children and adolescents with special educational needs with a variety of sports activities by offering training sessions as part of the school curriculum to integrate them into sports clubs. AIMS: We conducted outcome and process evaluations. While the outcome evaluation focused on the project's effects on the participants' well-being, the process evaluation concentrated on barriers to and facilitators for the project's implementation in the two settings: schools and sports clubs. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: At the time of data collection, 314 pupils with special educational needs were involved in the project. The average age of the children and adolescents was 12 years (standard deviation: 3.1). Of the participants, 41 % were girls and 59 % were boys. For the outcome evaluation, we administered questionnaires to the participating parents (n = 79), teachers (n = 75), and trainers (n = 11). For the process evaluation, we conducted two focus groups with seven trainers (4 female), five parents (one couple and three mothers), and three teenagers (2 boys and one girl). OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The outcome evaluation showed that almost all the parents, trainers, and teachers experienced a positive effect on the participants' well-being. The most striking barriers to implementation at schools and sports clubs were: the small number of training sessions at school; difficulties in communication between trainers, clubs, and parents; and the low numbers of trainers being actively involved in sports clubs. The facilitators for implementation were: good communication between parents and trainers and good cooperation between teachers and trainers. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: This project showed that sports programs being inclusive of children and adolescents with special educational needs has a positive effect on these participants' well-being. Good communication and cooperation between trainers, teachers, and sports clubs are significant elements for successful implementation

Club · Needs assessment · Occupational safety and health · Poison control · Special Educational Needs · Special needs · Suicide prevention · Children's Physical and Motor Development · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Inclusion and Disability in Education and Sport · Physical Education and Pedagogy

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