Fidelity Criteria Development: Aligning Paralympic School Day With Contact Theory

Click name to view affiliation

Cathy McKay James Madison University

Search for other papers by Cathy McKay in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
*
,
Jung Yeon Park University of Leuven

Search for other papers by Jung Yeon Park in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
*
, and
Martin Block University of Virginia

Search for other papers by Martin Block in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
*
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/apaq.2017-0064
Keywords:
attitude theory and change; inclusion; scale construction
In Print:
Volume 35: Issue 2
Page Range:
233–242
Restricted access

The purpose of this study was to address contact theory as the theoretical basis of the Paralympic School Day (PSD) disability awareness program using a newly created fidelity of implementation instrument (fidelity criteria) to measure a single construct (contact theory), seeking to control and explain the manner in which PSD satisfied the four components of contact theory. Participants were 145 sixth-grade students who took part in PSD. Results determined that the PSD intervention supported the four theoretical components of contact theory, with statistically significant differences in student responses across all four indicators (p < .001). In addition, results determined that the fidelity criteria had strong test–retest reliability with internal consistency that was strong across time points (r = .829; p < .001). Results also determined that the four indicators of the instrument measured a single construct (one indicator significant at the p ≤ .01 level and three indicators significant at the p ≤ .001 level), thus, determining strong construct validity.

McKay is with the Dept. of Kinesiology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA. Park is with the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Block is with the Dept. of Kinesiology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.

Address author correspondence to Cathy McKay at mckayca@jmu.edu.
  • Collapse
  • Expand
Cover Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly

  • Allport, G.W. (1954). The nature of prejudice. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

  • Fishbein, H.D. (1996). Peer prejudice and discrimination: Evolutionary, cultural, and developmental dynamics. Boulder, CO: Westview.

  • Hutzler, Y., Fliess-Douer, O., Avraham, A., Reiter, S., & Talmor, R. (2007). Effects of short-term awareness interventions on children’s attitudes toward peers with a disability. International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 30, 159–161. PubMed doi:10.1097/MRR.0b013e32813a2eb6

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • International Paralympic Committee. (2006). Paralympic School Day manual. Retrieved from http://www.paralympic.org/TheIPC/WWD/ParalympicSchoolDay

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kendler, H.H. (1983). Operationism: A recipe for reducing confusion and ambiguity. The Journal of Mind and Behavior, 4, 91–97.

  • Kline, R.B. (2015). Principles and practices of structural equation modeling (4th ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Publications.

  • Liu, Y., Kudlacek, Y., & Jesina, O. (2010). The influence of Paralympic School Day on children’s attitudes towards people with disabilities. Acta Universitatis Palackianae Olomucensis. Gymnica, 40(2), 63–69.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • McKay, C., Block, M.E., & Park, J.Y. (2015). The effect of Paralympic School Day on attitudes toward inclusion in physical education. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 32(4), 331–348. PubMed doi:10.1123/APAQ.2015-0045

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Panagiotou, A.K., Evaggelinou, C., Doulkeridou, A., Mouratidou, K., & Koidou, E. (2008). Attitudes of 5th and 6th grade Greek students toward the inclusion of children with disabilities in physical education classes after a Paralympic education program. European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity, 1(2), 31–43.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Peters, G.Y. (2014). The alpha and the omega of scale reliability and validity: Why and how to abandon Cronbach’s alpha and the route towards more comprehensive assessment of scale quality. The European Health Psychologist, 16(2), 56–69.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Pettigrew, T.F. (1998). Intergroup contact theory. Annual Review of Psychology, 49, 65–85. PubMed doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.49.1.65

  • Pettigrew, T.F., & Tropp, L.R. (2006). A meta-analytic test of intergroup contact theory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90(5), 751–783. PubMed doi:10.1037/0022-3514.90.5.751

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Pettigrew, T.F., & Tropp, L.R. (2008). How does intergroup contact reduce prejudice? Meta-analytic tests of three mediators. European Journal of Social Psychology, 38(6) 922–934. doi:10.1002/ejsp.504

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Ribes-Inesta, E. (2003). What is defined in operational definitions? The case of operant psychology. Behavior and Philosophy, 31, 111–126.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Rosenwald, G.C. (1986). Why operationism won’t go away: Extra-scientific incentives of social-psychological research. Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 16, 303–330. doi:10.1177/004839318601600302

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Sherrill, C., & O’Connor, J. (1999). Guidelines for improving adapted physical activity research. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 16, 1–8. doi:10.1123/apaq.16.1.1

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Slininger, D., Sherrill, C., & Jankowski, C.M. (2000). Children’s attitudes toward peers with severe disabilities: Revisiting contact theory. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 17, 176–196. doi:10.1123/apaq.17.2.176

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Sutlive, V.H., & Ulrich, D.A. (1998). Interpreting statistical significance and meaningfulness in adapted physical activity research. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 15, 103–118. doi:10.1123/apaq.15.2.103

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Swafford, J.O., Jones, G.A., & Thornton, C.A. (1997). Increased knowledge in geometry and instructional practice. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 28(4), 467–483. doi:10.2307/749683

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Tripp, A., & Sherrill, C. (1991). Attitude theories of relevance to adapted physical education. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 8, 12–27. doi:10.1123/apaq.8.1.12

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Xafopoulos, G., Kudlacek, M., & Evaggelinou, C. (2009). Effect of the intervention program “Paralympic School Day” on attitudes of children attending international school towards inclusion of students with disabilities. Acta Universitatis Palackianae Olomucensis. Gymnica, 39(4), 63–71.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 2715 354 25
Full Text Views 189 121 0
PDF Downloads 58 26 0