Pre-service physical education teachers\u2019 attitudes toward inclusive physical education

Michael Braksiek

doi:10.1007/s12662-021-00755-1

Abstract

A teacher’s positive attitude is an important factor for successful inclusive physical education (PE). PE teachers’ attitudes are shaped during PE teacher education (PETE) programs. Thus, a valid instrument is needed not only for assessing pre-service PE teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive PE but also for evaluating the effect of PETE programs in general and the effect of specific parts of such programs (e.g., seminars) on the development of those attitudes. Regarding the measurement of this attitude, little is known about how a subject-specific attitude toward inclusive education is related to general attitudes toward inclusive education. In this study 362 pre-service PE teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education in general and inclusive PE were assessed using two general attitude scales and one PE-specific attitude scale. By conducting confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs), the factorial and convergent validity of the PE-specific scale was investigated. Results showed that the scale measures attitude toward inclusive PE adequately and that this attitude is related to general attitudes toward inclusive education. In addition, the measurement invariance of the scale among different degree programs of the pre-service PE teachers as well as group differences in the assessed attitude depending on the degree programs were investigated using multigroup CFA. The results support the use of the scale in the context of PETE for inclusion, but also point to general difficulties regarding attitude measurement in the context inclusive of (physical) education.

Highlights

Since German ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009, students with special educational needs (SENs) have the right to be educated in mainstream schools and regular classrooms (Powell, Edelstein, & Blanck, 2016)
It was shown that the attitude toward inclusive physical education (PE), measured by the S-AIPE, is related to the attitude toward effects and toward the arrangement of inclusive education in general
The factorial and convergent validity of the S-AIPE as well as the approximate measurement invariance and sensitivity were established in a sample of preservice PE teachers

Summary

Introduction

Since German ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009, students with special educational needs (SENs) have the right to be educated in mainstream schools and regular classrooms (Powell, Edelstein, & Blanck, 2016). Appropriate training is crucial for successful implementation of inclusive education programs (Erhorn, Moeller, & Langer, 2020; Forlin & Chambers, 2011). Teachers prior to receiving their teacher certification (preservice teachers) need to develop skills for implementing inclusive practices, they should develop the willingness and intention to implement these inclusive practices in their teaching. This intention is considered as an essential condition for the actual implementation of such practices (Sheeran & Webb, 2016; Yan & Sin, 2014). Focus has been on the attitudes of teachers and pre-service teachers toward inclusive education in general (Forlin, Earle, Loreman, & Sharma, 2011; MacFarlane & Woolfson, 2013; Schwab, 2018; Sharma, Shaukat, & Furlonger, 2015) as well as toward inclusive physical education (PE) (Hutzler, Meier, Reuker, & Zitomer, 2019; Lautenbach & Antoniewicz, 2018; Rischke, Heim, & Gröben, 2017)

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Conclusion