Examining the Emotional Distance of the Students at the Department of Exercise and Sports for the Disabled Towards Disabled Individuals (the Case of Turkey)

Abstract

This research aims to examine the emotional distances of the students studying at the Department of Exercise and Sports for the Disabled in Turkey towards disabled individuals. The general survey method was used for the study. The participants consisted of 188 students (78 women and 110 men). The study uses “The Scale of Emotional Distance towards the Other” and the personal information form created by the researchers. Descriptive statistics, normality distribution, and Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis, which are non-parametric tests, were used in the analysis of the data. The data obtained shows no statistically significant difference in the sub-dimensions of the scale according to the variables of gender, age, university, class, presence of a disabled person in the family, presence of a disabled person in the environment, and the presence of a disabled person in the However, a significant difference was found in favor of the students who preferred the department in the first place in the emotional distance sub-dimensions of the scale in the remote area, in the public area, and in the private area. The results reveal that the emotional distance of the participants towards the disabled individuals was low and the emotional distance of those who preferred the department in the first place was less than the other participants. In addition, activities, where pre-service teachers can interact socially with disabled individuals during their education, are recommended.