Facilitating regular Physical Education for students with disability-PE teachers' views

Area of Science:

• Education
• Sports Science
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Inclusive Physical Education (PE) is crucial for students with disabilities, offering physical activity benefits often limited in extracurricular settings.
• Mainstream secondary schools provide a key context for fostering participation and social inclusion for students with disabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how Physical Education (PE) teachers facilitate participation for students with disabilities in mainstream secondary schools.
• To identify effective strategies and environmental adaptations for inclusive PE.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving focus group interviews with eight experienced PE teachers.
• Analysis of interview data using qualitative content analysis to identify key themes.

Main Results:

• Teachers emphasized creating structured, welcoming environments and adapting the PE setting for student needs.
• Successful participation relies on inclusive mindsets, thorough preparation, and tailored adaptations.
• Close teacher-student communication and additional support are vital when in-class participation is challenging.

Conclusions:

• Teacher experiences highlight the importance of structured, adaptive PE environments for student participation.
• Fostering inclusive mindsets and providing necessary support optimizes engagement for students with disabilities.
• Schools must develop structures to ensure students with disabilities gain meaningful participation experiences, promoting equality and social inclusion.