Examination of the Papers Presented at the International Congresses in the Field of Physical Education and Sports for the Disabled in Turkey in Terms of Disability Groups and Research Methods

Abstract This study was conducted with the purpose of constituting a source for the future studies and offering the method suggestions through the examination of the Papers Presented at the International Congresses in the Field of Physical Education and Sports for the Disabled in Turkey. The abstract proceedings books (published online and printed) of the international congresses held in 2011, 2014, and 2017 in the field of physical education and sports for the disabled were examined and classified. 495 researchers, of whom 362 were male and 133 were female, participated in these three congresses with 197 papers. 38 invited speakers participated in the congresses. 127 oral and 32 poster paper presentations were made. Of the papers presented, 70 were in Turkish and 31 were in English. 96 papers were published both in Turkish and English in the abstract proceedings book. Of the papers presented, 79 were quantitative and 118 were qualitative researches. Of the studies conducted; 36 were in the group of physical disability, 47 were in the group of mental disability, 19 were in the group of hearing disability, 11 were in the group of vision disability, 74 were in the group of multiple disability and the other disability groups, and 10 were in the group of the non-disabled. In conclusion, it was seen that the studies were insufficient for all disability groups (physical, visual, hearing, mental, and other), and the papers regarding the non-disabled were also presented in the congresses, themed “the disabled and sports” (n = 10 5%). It is noteworthy that the qualitative researches are more than the quantitative ones. In the future congresses, an equal distribution of the disability groups and research fields can be ensured through determining the fields and methods and directing the researches