Exit Interview Questions

(1) What is your essential question?  What is the best answer to your question and why?

My essential question is: "What is the most significant way that Special Olympics can help an person with an intellectual disability gain social competence?". My best answer is athletes need a strong support system to become socially competent. Without support and deciation from regional directors, area director, coaches, volunteers, parents, and caregivers athletes would not know how or to improve their social competence. These people work with the athletes in small groups and one on one to insure that their needs are being met and that they are gaining social competence.

 

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

The process that I took to arrive to my best answer was looking for ways that other people influence the athletes. I read a lot of research how sports give self esteem and how sports prepare them for everyday life and how self esteem leads to social competence. I was sold on these two answers. While at mentorship I saw all of the volunteers, coaches, parents,and care givers helping the athletes in so many different ways. Not just in sports but in everyday life skills. This is how I learned what my best answer was. Athletes need a strong support system.

 

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

At the beginning  of senior year I was lost on what exactly I should be researching. I was not sure where to start. Special Olympics has so many different branches that I could look into. So, I decided that i needed to narrow down on what I saw search. I did this before I even got my EQ approved. My problem was solved early on. My second problem that I faced was on my science project. I found that conducting an experiment very challenging. Even though Special Olympics is based in sports that was not entirely what I was focusing on. I found that conducting a study with people with intellectual disabilities is very challenging because your data can change quickly. I resolved it by completing my experiment and took that into consideration.

 

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

My two most significant sources was the official Special Olympics web page. This provided me a lot of information and it brought me to a bunch of different sites. This web site helped my answer part of my essential question. My second best source is my mentorship. While volunteering and coaching at Pomona Valley Special Olympics I witnessed first hand on all of the positive things Special Olympics does for the athletes. I saw how Special Olympics is a fun, loving, and supporting community.

 

(5) What is your product and why?

My product is becoming a bowling coach through mentorship. This is my product because I had to take a coach training class and I work with the athletes in a different way than just being a volunteer. I am very proud of the accomplishment.