An Assessment of the Effects of Local Cultures on Sports Participation by Disabled Pupils in Masvingo Urban Primary Schools in Zimbabwe

The study investigated the influence of local cultures or superstitions on pupils with physical disabilities’ participation in sports and the Physical Education curriculum. The main purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which the invisible hand of culture impedes the implementation of the inclusive policy in primary schools in Zimbabwe. The data to address the research questions was collected by means of a descriptive survey and a literature review. More precisely, a questionnaire and a structured interview were the tools used in data collection. The sample consisted of thirty primary school pupils with disabilities, 20 primary school teachers and five school heads. The results of the study indicate that inclusive policy in respect of disabled pupils’ participation in sport and the Physical Education (PE) curriculum is in the clutches of a group of local cultures which operate at community, institutional and personal levels. At community level, cultural myths and superstitions impede disabled pupils’ participation in sport and the PE curriculum. These myths are expressed in the form of uncritical mindsets, out dated views and stereotypes about the dangers of involving disabled pupils in sport and PE activities. At the institutional or school levels, teacher cultures, sporting and academic traditions were discovered to be major barriers to disabled persons’ involvement in sporting activities. The teachers view sports as competitive events in which a few talented pupils would naturally excel and through which pupils with disabilities are unlikely to do well. As a result, pupils with disabilities were discriminated against and denied access to sports on the basis of culturally based stereotypes. In addition, academic traditions in schools which stress on examinable aspects of the primary school curriculum were found to subvert the teaching of Physical Education in schools. As a result they did not strive to teach the subject in a creative and innovative way it was regarded as a low status subject. More specifically, teachers did not adapt equipment or rules to suit the therapeutic needs of pupils with disabilities. In view of the above, a significant number of pupils with disabilities appear to have accepted their marginalization and participation in both sports and the Physical Education curriculum. Lastly, the cumulative effects of societal and institutional cultures were found to have detrimental effects on disabled pupils’ self-esteem and assertiveness. Disabled pupils have internalized and developed a defeatist culture whereby they accepted their discrimination and marginalization without question. In light of the above findings, this study recommends the development of a policy framework and the setting up of a national committee that will review, coordinate and devise meaningful strategies for engaging disabled pupils in sports and the Physical Education curriculum across all educational levels.