A cross-disciplinary comparison of published articles: Adapted physical activity and special education

Abstract

Documentary analyses of adapted physical activity (APA) literature have been conducted which discuss publication trends in the APA field (e.g., Karkeletsi, Skordilis, Evaggelinou, Grammatopoulou, & Spanaki, 2012; Porretta & Sherrill, 2005). However, few documentary analyses have compared those results with trends in other related fields, such as special education (SE). This study compares publication trends between APA and SE over a 10-year span. Primary journals from APA and SE, Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly (APAQ) and Exceptional Children (EC), respectively, were selected for a comparative documentary analysis. A total of 455 articles (APAQ, n=205; EC, n=250) from 2004 to 2013 were identified and coded based on the following categories: (a)country of the first author affiliation; (b)theoretical framework of empirical studies; (c)intervention research; (d)publication/research methods; (e) population of interest; and (f)topical areas. Results demonstrate similarities and differences between APA and SE publication trends. The results indicate that little intervention-based research was published across journals (14% for APAQ; 38% for EC). Both journals largely published group design research, and more single subject studies were observed in EC (n=17) than in APAQ (n=4). Additional similarities and differences in publication trends over the past ten years between two journals are discussed.

Pro and Con of Single Subject Research in Adapted Physical Education and the Guidance for an Appropriate Research Designing

“…(Baker & McLeod, 2011). In the review of article of Lee & Haegele (2015), the characteristics of heterogeneity of participants make single subject design more suitable to demonstrate the internal validity and experimental control comparing to the group experimental design (Byiers, Reichle, & Symons, 2012).…”