The impact of the Global "imPOSSIBLE" Program on the Iranian Students’ Change of Attitude Toward Inclusive Sport

In recent years, international organizations have put forth various programs in way of creating an inclusive world. One of the programs which has recently been introduced by the International Paralympic Committee and has also been implemented in Iran is the "I’mPOSSIBLE" global program. This program aims to change young people's attitude toward people with disabilities. Thus, the main objective of the current study was to identify the impact of the implementation of the "I’mPOSSIBLE" program on changing the attitude of primary school students toward inclusive sport. The present study was of an applied and semi-experimental type. The statistical sample consisted of 50 sixth grade students who were put into two groups of 25 control and experimental students. The experimental group was trained in three sessions in accordance with the "I’mPOSSIBLE" program. The measurement tools included a questionnaire designed to assess children's attitude toward inclusive sport (Block, 1995) and an adjective checklist (Siperstein, 2006) in way of evaluating the cognitive attitude that used the pre-test and post-test design to obtain data. The questionnaires were given to both groups before and after the implementation of the program. To analyze the variables, the mixed model analysis, the independent T, the follow-up extrapolation as well as the Wilcoxon tests were used. The results indicated that the program had a significant effect on changing the students' attitudes toward inclusive sport. It is suggested that the "I’mPOSSIBLE" program be included in the physical education (PE) curriculum and be implemented continuously in the primary schools in Iran. By implementing this program in schools, a large number of the existing restrictions for people with disabilities in society will be eliminated in addition to improving and promoting a positive attitude towards people with disabilities and their integration into the society.