An investigation of the awareness levels of the physical education and sports education department students regarding the participation of mentally handicapped individuals in sports activities

Aim: Participation of mentally handicapped individuals in sports activities supports their physical and mental development and helps them socialize in society. In this context, the study aims to examine the awareness of the benefits of sports by considering the attitudes of the students of the Department of Physical Education and Sports Education for the Disabled, which will provide sports training to the mentally disabled, from a different perspective. Material and Method: The survey model, which is one of the quantitative research methods, was used in the study. Demographic information form prepared by the researcher and an awareness scale for the benefits of sports in mentally handicapped individuals were used as data collection tools. The population of the research is the İnönü University Faculty of Sports Sciences, and the sample is the students of the Department of Physical Education and Sports Education for the Disabled. Results: Considering the findings obtained in the research; no statistically significant difference was found among the scale total scores and gender (t=-.963; p>.05), active sports (t=-.954; p>.05), knowing a mentally disabled person (t=.185; p>.05), previous sporting activities with him/her (t=.125; p>.05), age (f=1.773; p=.173; p>.05) and grade level (f=.525; p=.666; p>.05) variables. Conclusion: Consequently, the awareness levels of the participating students are mostly high. Female compared to male; those who have an acquaintance with a mental disability compared to those who do not have an acquaintance with a mental disability; compared to those who have done sports with a mentally disabled person before, those who have not done sports with a mentally disabled person before; students who do not do active sports have a higher level of awareness than those who do active sports. Keywords: Awareness, Mentally Handicapped Individuals, Sports, Sports in Mentally Handicapped Individuals