Contribution of Adapted Physical Education Course to Promoting Volunteer Work with Omani Learners with Disabilities

Abstract. Volunteer work (VW) is a fundamental pillar of societal values.
It is a human practice associated with all goodness and collaborative work
meanings. Therefore, VW is a positive human behavior, activity, and
cultural phenomenon that enhances the values of collaboration, loyalty,
compassion, and empathy among members of society. The culture of VW
comes as one of the sources of competencies required to be developed
among students by upbringing and cultural formation processes by
educational institutions. Therefore, the university’s role is highlighted in
preparing students for VW by including academic programs and courses
on topics, activities, and field experiences that enhance the culture of VW.
The adapted physical education (APE) course at Sultan Qaboos
University (SQU) is one of the models that contribute to improving the
culture of VW with Omani learners with disabilities. Accordingly, this
study aimed to identify the contribution of the APE course in promoting
VW with Omani learners with disabilities. 87 students from the
Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences (PESS) at SQU
responded to the APE scale. The APE scale consisted of 34 items
distributed into three domains: course instructor, course topics, and
course teaching methods. The results indicated a high contribution of the
APE course in promoting VW with learners with disabilities from the
perspective of the APE course students. In other words, the course
instructor, course topics, and educational methods and field activities
contributed to promoting VW among APE course students. The study
recommended including topics related to VW in university courses.