In the master thesis, we have been exploring if pupils with specific nonverbal learning disabilities experience fear during the physical education classes in primary school.
Specific nonverbal learning disabilities are a neurological syndrome, composed of deficits in visually spatial, social and loco motor area. These deficits affect education of an individual and all the other areas in his life. Despite well-developed cognitive abilities, these pupils face great challenges when it comes to identifying emotional activity of other people. Children with specific nonverbal learning disabilities tend to internalise emotions, which can result in a form of depression, anxiety, in extreme cases also suicide. Fear is very harmful for human if it is present to often and in inadequate circumstances. Since children with specific nonverbal learning disabilities often have problems in the area of movement and since the physical education points out the importance of integrated development of a child, not only in the field of movement, but also cognitive, emotional and social development, we have decided to explore whether during physical education classes, fear is present with pupils that have specific nonverbal learning disabilities. In the theoretical part, we have identified fear as an emotion and described factors, linked to appearance and experience of fear during the PE classes in school.
In empirical part, we have used a qualitative research approach, a descriptive method. Qualitative working method was based on a multiple case study, where we have interviewed six children with specific nonverbal learning disabilities. The sampling was intentional. Interviewed pupils and teachers are from the region of Štajerska. We checked how the interviewed pupils with specific nonverbal learning disabilities experience physical education classes, how they experience testing and grading of these classes, how they experience their own success or success of their classmates during the classes, which factors cause fear of the interviewed pupils with specific nonverbal learning disabilities, which activities cause fear. We also wanted to know if the teachers of the interviewed pupils recognise possible fear during the classes of PE.
With the gathered results, we concluded that all of the interviewed pupils experience fear during the PE classes and they do not experience them as positive. Their experience of the classes proved to be linked to the content of the classes and the exercises they perform during the classes and also depends on how the classmates tolerate their mistakes during the performance of the exercises.
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