Movement in School: A DisCrit Examination of Access to Social-Physical Activity for Students With Emotional/Behavioral Disorder

• In Event: Dismantling Educational Structures That Create Barriers for Students With Disabilities

Abstract

purpose:
to track the opportunities of students who have been labeled as having an emotional/behavioral disorder (EBD) have for moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during the school day
to map the physical locations of school that students who have been labeled as having EBD occupy
to examine the discursive ways in which students are granted or denied access to MPVA in school
provide expanded opportunities to MVPA in school for children with EBD. 1)
Perspective: There are proven associations between physical activity and academic performance and student disposition (Coe et al., 2006; Donnelly & Lambourne, 2011; Hannon & Castelli, 2015) including: increased attention, higher self-esteem, and reduced depression (Conley, 2020; Dorman, 2015; Kayani et al., 2018). Importantly, increased social-physical activities also present opportunities for peer support and building close friendships (Conley et al., 2020). Unfortunately, beginning in pre-school, most students spend over 80% of their school day in sedentary activities (Pate et al. 2008). For students with disabilities, and EBD in particular, access to MVPA is even more severely limited due to more restrictive learning environments, teacher attitudes and competence, and discrimination (Panacek & Dunlap, 2003; Sit et al., 2007; Coates et al., 2008; Rekaa et al., 2019).
Conceptual Framework: Using DisCrit as a guiding theoretical lens to conceptualize the relationship between race, EBD, and discourses that contribute to or detract from comparative access to opportunities for MVPA, we consider three variables:
Number of steps students participants take during a typical month at school
Frequency and duration of MVPA (as measured by heart rate) during recess or physical education with same aged peers during the school day
Teacher identity and agency in increasing or decreasing opportunities for child-led MVPA during the school day
Proposed Data Sources:
Average number of steps a student who has been labeled as having EBD takes in a typical day at school, as averaged over 30 days, and as compared to a same-aged peer
Heart-rate data during social-physical activities (to measure activity intensity through metabolic equivalents)
Interview data with student and teacher participants
Ethnographic observational data that attends to:
Tenor of student relationship with teacher
Tenor of student relationship with peers
Locations within the school to which the student travels
Access to and performance within physical education class as compared to same-aged peer
Access to and performance during recess as compared to same-aged peer
Significance: Not only are Black students over-represented in the disability category of EBD (McKenna, 2013; Harris-Murri et al., 2006, Reeka, 2019), the way in which this population is subject to hyper-surveillance (Annamma, 2016; Dumas, 2016; Morris, 2016) and more likely to be educated in segregated settings (McKenna et al., 2019) makes them more susceptible to decreased opportunities for MVPA. We hope to identify concrete opportunities for increased access to MVPA for students of Color with EBD, increasing the opportunity to experience the proven academic and social benefits of social-physical activity for children.

Authors

• Maureen Negrelli Coomer, Colorado College
  Presenting Author

• Eryn Murphy, Colorado College
  Presenting Author

• Diya Taylor, Colorado College
  Presenting Author