A Special kind of Heroes Kwalitatief onderzoek naar de verwachtingen van docenten en ouders ten aanzien van het sportstimuleringsproject Special Heroes binnen het cluster 4 onderwijs

Abstract

In the Netherlands the sports promotion intervention Special Heroes is set up from cluster 3 education (mental disabled students) in cluster 4 education (students with behavioral problems). It demonstrates that only a small number of students with behavior problems register for sport clubs. Therefore the aim of Special Heroes is to improve sports participation for those students. The purpose of this present study was to clarify teachers’ and parents’ expectations regarding Special Heroes. Using this information, points of attention are formulate, which support Special Heroes to reach an optimal result in cluster 4 education. Therefore, a qualitative determinant analysis has been implemented. Furthermore, 16 teachers and 9 parents have been questioned on the physical exercise of students with behavioral problems. The results demonstrate that it is significant for sports clubs to have sufficient knowledge about the target group and professional coaches. The project Special Heroes can contribute to this by transferring the knowledge of the teachers to sports clubs coaches. In addition, it is important to involve parents in the Special Heroes project and inform them about the sports options for this target group. A solid communication system amongst schools, sports clubs and parents will increase sports opportunities and more physical exercise for cluster 4 students.