title: Use of an ecologically based program for teaching motor skills in a naturalistic setting to individuals with disabilities.
abstract: The purpose of this action study was to apply an ecological program for teaching motor skills to individuals with disabilities in naturalistic settings. The program was developed based on an ecological survey. Participants were 22 individuals with disabilities, ages 7 to 26 years in the Fall of 1998 and 18 individuals with disabilities, ages 7 to 24 in the Winter of 1999. In each semester, a participant received one or two 50-min, training session(s) per week for 10 weeks. The number of steps in a motor-activity task performed correctly by a participant was measured in the first and last sessions in each semester. The magnitude of increase in the motor performance by participants and answers to questions in a short survey by participants' parents were used to describe the group performance. Analysis showed group performance of targeted motor skills could be improved using this ecological program in this local learning lab for special physical education.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo 49008, USA. zhangj@wmich.edu
authors.forename: Jiabei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Berkey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D004463:Ecology; D005260:Female; D006285:Health Planning; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D019989:Persons with Intellectual Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D010806:Physical Education and Training; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*