Students’ experiences of paraeducator support in inclusive physical education: helping or hindering?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Paraeducators are foundational to the success of inclusive education programs, yet little is known about how students experience their support over time. The aim of the study was to determine the meaning of the physical and symbolic presence of paraeducator support in physical education across elementary (approximately ages 6–11), middle (ages 12–14), and high school years (ages 15–18) for students experiencing physical impairment. Using an interpretative phenomenological analysis and life story research approach, data were retrospectively gathered as the participants looked back on their school experiences. The thematic analysis of one-on-one semi-structured interviews of five participants (3 women and 2 men), aged 18–30 years (average age 23) generated three themes. The themes were (a) initially I didn’t question their (in)action, (b) over time, their presence created social interaction barriers, and (c) blurred boundaries of friendship, independence, and interdependence. Relational ethics provided the conceptual framework for the study. In elementary school, the participants reflected on their impoverished engagement in physical education as their paraeducators looked on. In early middle school, the physical presence and over protection of paraeducators thwarted social skill development leading to social dependence, distancing the participants from their peers. Toward late middle school, the participants found themselves negotiating relational boundaries to gain independence yet preserve beneficial interdependence. In high school the participants lamented the loss of their paraeducators as valuable communication conduits, leaving them feeling abandoned. The participants recommended that during the elementary years paraeducators provide meaningful strategies for participation. Further, during upper elementary and middle school years, paraeducator support should be discretionary, with students (and parents) determining support requirements, in anticipation of an increasing need for autonomy during high school years.