Comparative Research on Inclusive Education in England, Germany, France and Turkey from the Perspective of Physical Activity

Abstract

Abstract Different countries differently address the physical education needs of disabled children. Some focus only on the classroom learning hence equipping the children with little knowledge on physical education. Others lack the facilities to facilitate the physical education of the disabled. This has led to an increased number of the disabled with little or no knowledge about their talent in the field of sports. This paper compares access to the physical education by the disabled in England, Germany, France and Turkey. The countries were determined by taking into consideration the population and geographical conditions. Data is collected from secondary resources and compared for the countries. The paper also sheds light on the factors that hamper the provision of physical education to the disabled in the three countries. It is concluded that the education systems in Germany and England do not favor the provision of physical education to the disabled. Special educational needs are recognized in the French education system and hence the reason behind the increased number of disabled children majoring in sports. The second barrier to the provision of physical education to the disabled is the lack of facilities. In Germany, for example, there are inadequate facilities for use by disabled students while doing physical exercises. In England, the focus is on classroom learning. It is only in France where the government has provided adequate equipment for use by the disabled during physical education classes (Ardoy, et al., 2014). In Turkey there is a need to further encouragement of participation in physical activity of people with disabilities Finally, there has been a belief that the disabled have no place in the field of sports hence leading to poor financing of the special needs education by the government.