Factors affecting the interest of students with special needs in physical education participation in colleges and universities: a grounded theory study of the special physical education classroom

In China, students with special educational needs (SEN) encounter challenges when entering higher education institutions that affect their insufficient levels of motivation to participate in physical activity. To address this issue, this study, base on Constructing Grounded Theory, begins with physical activity participation interest. By reviewing the experiences of SEN university students participating in physical activities in different forms of special physical education classes in China, we have proposed a theoretical model applicable to their interest in participating in physical activities. The model not only identifies factors influencing their interest in participating in physical activities but also reveals the developmental process of interest. The trajectory of the interest model is determined by three paths of the prerequisite condition ‘Part in?‘, and the three stages of the interest development process (‘Sprout Interest’, ‘Trigger situational Interest’, and ‘Develop individual Interest’) are consecutive but different. Each stage requires continuous support to facilitate further development of interest. The final results indicate that only SEN students from an independent physical education course (with multi-activity teaching content) experience all three developmental stages of the interest model. They also fulfill the four dimensions of the ‘Self’ layer (‘Competence’, ‘Support’, ‘Goal completion’, ‘Affect’), enhancing their self-efficacy, leading to further development of a personal interest in participating in physical activities. The model derived from this study illustrates a cumulative, progressive form of development, providing a comprehensive framework for understanding the interest of Chinese SEN university students in participating in physical activities in special physical education