Representações sociais sobre a deficiência: perspectivas de alunos de Educação Física escolar

Abstract

Social representations of disability (SRD) can have a broad impact on effective inclusion in Physical Education classes. This study aimed to investigate the SRD by Physical Education students and to evaluate their repercussions on the effective participation of students with disabilities in the proposed pedagogical activities. The descriptive, qualitative and exploratory study consisted of the participation of 29 students from the State Education of the municipalities of the Itaguaí and Seropédica - RJ, of both sexes, with a mean age of 19.55 years (SD = 5.05), with or without a disability and who regularly practiced Physical Education. A semi-structured interview was used for data collection. All interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using the content analysis technique. Three categories emerged: (1) SRD: theoretical models; (2) SRD: concepts and values; (3) social representations and participation in Physical Education. Each of these was discussed along with suggestions for future studies. It is concluded that most of the SRD was based on the medical model, with stigmatizing and exclusionary characteristics, which can have a broad impact on the participation of students with disabilities in Physical Education classes, which makes it essential to develop interventions that focus on this issue and contribute to effective inclusion.