Historisches europäisches Langschwertfechten als sonderpädagogische Fördermaßnahme: Untersuchungen zur sozio-emotionalen Entwicklung von Schüler:innen an einem sonderpädagogischen Bildungs- und Beratungszentrum mit Förderschwerpunkt Lernen

Girls and boys with need for support in the special educational needs focus learning
not only represent the largest group of remedial students (Kultusministerkonferenz,
2022), they also face further disadvantages. In addition to reduced learning and
performance behaviour many of them demonstrate significant deficits in their socioemotional
development (Gold et al., 2018; Heimlich, 2016; Peer, 2016). From the
perspective of potential-oriented special needs pedagogy, this means a staying behind
owing to conditions which are unsuitable to learn- and development (Heimlich, 2016).
In this context, early attachment trauma is considered as particularly serious (Günther
2012 in Heimlich 2016, Klein 2001 in Gebhardt 2021).
Based on the didactic interpretation of the educational mission of physical education
(Bähr et al., 2013; Scheid & Prohl, 2017), it can be assumed that - at least in theory -
sport is able to promote students` socio-emotional development. This particularly
applies to the practice of so-called soft martial arts (Liebl, 2012; Lindel & König, 2018;
Marusak et al., 2022; Pinto-Escalona et al., 2022).
Using the methods of qualitative social research, this work examines how fencing with
the long sword may promote the social-emotional development of students with need
for support in the special educational needs focus learning.
As part of a specific intervention, sixth-grade students of a special needs pedagogy
education and career counseling center with support in the focus learning were taught
in long sword fencing for one year. Students and teachers were interviewed with pre-,
post and retention surveys (Conzelmann et al., 2011; Magnaguagno et al., 2016).
Additionally the fencing intervention was recorded on video (Wolff, 2017) in every
second unit.
As retention survey the stimulated-recall-method was used (Messmer, 2015;
Schneider-Binkl & Gaul, 2018). The evaluation with the „inhaltlich-strukturierenden
qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse“ (Schreier, 2014) which roughly translates to Qualitative
Content Analysis, with twelve deductively und inductively created categories positive
changes for all students in several categories. Occasionally temporary deteriorations
regarding the students` behaviour appeared, but not in all survey perspectives.
Quantification of the results led to the following ranking of the categories: Conflict
resolution: 42,50 %, socio-emotional behaviour: 39,58 %, performance description:
38,75 %, motivation: 25,77 %, emotional self-expression: 24,32 %, self-regulation:
21,18 %, self-organization: 20,93 %, wellbeing at school: 15,52 %, social integration:
14,29 %, aggression: 5,96 % and fear 3,61 %, with an average of 22,57 % (standard
deviation 12,10).
The sustainable value of the intervention is 55,73 % on average (standard deviation
27,01). For 36 % of students participating in the study, the positive change is to be
considered as stable. Another 45 % of students showed positive change which is
considered to be stable under certain conditions, while 18 % of students presented
unstable progress.