Examining the Relationship between Self-Efficacy and Cognitive Flexibility of Physical Education and Sports Teachers towards Inclusive Education

Abstract

Introduction: While cognitive flexibility includes adapt to changes quickly and flexibly, self-efficacy is explained as the confidence one has in one’s abilities and competencies. Inclusive education is based on the idea that each student has access to all kinds of educational opportunities. In this context, the aim of the study is to examine the self-efficacy of physical education and sports teachers towards inclusive education and to determine the role of cognitive flexibility. Method: The population of the study consists of physical education and sports teachers working in public schools in Sakarya. A total of 157 (age = 40.83 ± 8.07) teachers, consisting of 120 males (76.4%) and 37 females (23.7%) recruited by convenience sampling, participated in the study designed with the relational screening model. "Teachers' Self-Efficacy Scale for the Education of Individuals with Special Needs," "Cognitive Flexibility Inventory," and the "Personal Information Form," developed by the researchers, were used as data collection tools. The data were analyzed in SPSS 22 using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and regression analyses Findings: It was determined that there was a positive, moderately significant relationship between teachers' cognitive flexibility levels and their self-efficacy for the education of individuals with special needs (TSEISN) (p < .05) and that cognitive flexibility had significant predictive power in explaining TSEISN (p < .05). Additionally, although no statistically significant difference was found in the participants' TSEISN and cognitive flexibility scores according to their course taking status (p > .05), their mean scores were determined to be high. Discussion: It can be concluded that as teachers' cognitive flexibility increases, their self-efficacy towards individuals with special needs increases; in other words, the self-efficacy of teachers who can adapt to different environments and develop practical thinking skills is positively affected by these characteristics, and the self-efficacy levels of those who take courses for inclusive education are relatively high.