Adapted Physical Education Teachers Research Articles

Adapted Physical Educators’ Experiences With School Administration and Marginalization

Background: While preliminary research has indicated that adapted physical education (APE) teachers experience marginalization, little research has examined how specific relationships factor into these experiences. Purpose: This study sought to examine APE teachers’ experiences and perceptions of school administrators. Methodology: Occupational socialization theory was used to guide semistructured interviews with 24 APE teachers about their relationship with administrators. Results: A collaborative approach to qualitative data analysis was used to construct four themes: (a) APE teachers are socialized to be marginal and settle for inadequate support; (b) negative impressions of general physical education led to a similar outlook on APE; (c) administrators focus on compliance with mandates over quality practice in APE; and (d) support depends on administrative effort, and many administrators look uncomfortable in the gym. Conclusion: Although these findings shed light on the complex, and often absent, relationship between APE teachers and their administrators, still additional research is needed.

Principals’ attitudes and intentions toward supporting adapted physical education

Public school administrators in the United States are required to supervise special education services, which include physical education and adapted physical education (APE). Although school administrators supervise and provide resources to support APE services, APE teachers have indicated that school administrators often interfere with their day-to-day practices and instruction. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine school administrators’ beliefs, attitudes, and intentions toward supporting APE within their school. Using a qualitative description approach, guided by the theory of planned behavior, nine building principals from California were interviewed about their perceptions and past experiences with APE. A thematic analysis enabled the authors to construct three interconnected themes: (1) APE teachers and services are valued, yet not prioritized, (2) stakeholders’ support of APE can impact principals’ attitudes and support of APE; yet, many remain indifferent regarding support of APE, and (3) lack of knowledge, resources, and funding prevents principals from providing adequate support to APE services and teachers. These findings emphasize both the support and barriers building principals often contribute to APE teachers’ service delivery. Additionally, these findings highlight the important role administrators have in supporting APE teachers and creating a culture where APE services and teachers are valued. Future research designed to improve attitudes among school administrators toward APE is necessary. Moreover, to provide essential resources for effective APE service delivery, systematic and theoretically driven interventions that link knowledge to fill the APE knowledge gap among school administrators are warranted.

The Impact of a Rater Training Program on the TGMD-3 Scoring Accuracy of Pre-Service Adapted Physical Education Teachers.

This study aimed to examine the impact of a TGMD-3 rater training program on pre-service adapted physical education (APE) teachers’ ability to score fundamental motor skills for children with developmental disabilities (DD). The training program consisted of a description of the TGMD-3 instrument and DD, as well as content focused on skill performance and correct scoring through systematic analysis of 13 FMS via the instrument. Three experts established the standard score through the TGMD-3 performance evaluation of a child with DD. Thirty-nine pre-service APE teachers in the experimental group and 30 pre-service teachers in the control group completed the pre- and post-test process in this study. There were significant impacts on the pre-service teachers’ ability to score the locomotor, ball skill subtests, and total skill scores (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. Specifically, the results of the three locomotor skills (running, horizontal jump, & slide) and three ball skills (two-hand strike, dribble, & kick) significantly improved in scoring accuracy. The results of this study can evidence that a TGMD-3 rater training program for pre-service APE teachers enhances the scoring accuracy of FMS among children with DD.

Adapted Physical Educators’ Social Media Usage for Professional Learning

Physical educators report a multitude of benefits from accessing informal learning opportunities via social media. However, a lack of research has been conducted on adapted physical education (APE) teachers’ usage of social media for professional learning (PL) purposes. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore how APE teachers use social media to learn about APE content. A survey was used to identify APE teachers’ (n = 73) social media usage patterns. Descriptive statistics were reported, and multiple t-tests were used to compare how participants perceived the usefulness of social media vs. conferences for PL purposes. Multiple linear regression analyses were also used to identify variables that predicted the participants’ likelihood of attending conferences and using social media for PL purposes. Results demonstrated many participants used an array of social media platforms to learn about topics such as activities and equipment. However, participants indicated that conferences were significantly more useful in gaining information about APE related topics compared to social media. Following multivariate analysis, personal and professional usage of social media for PL purposes was associated with conference attendance. The potential of APE teachers and organizing bodies to use social media for PL purposes and future research recommendations are discussed.

Adapted Physical Education Teaching Online During COVID-19: Experiences from the South of the United States

ABSTRACT The rapid transition from face-to-face to online teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic provided unprecedented experiences for Adapted Physical Education (APE) teachers while they have had many different emerging roles, demands, and expectations related to program delivery. The purpose of this study was to examine APE teachers’ experiences teaching online during COVID-19. Participants included 11 APE teachers from the south region of the United States (8 females, 3 males). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with each participant. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Data analysis resulted in five themes: ‘initial thought: how are we going to even do this?’, ‘challenges in teaching online’, ‘collaboration: key to overcome challenges’, ‘Parents’ support is critical’, and ‘it’s doable, but I am over it’. Despite the challenges experienced by the participants during COVID-19, they were able to navigate and adapt the online teaching; however, the quality and delivery of instruction declined.

Adapted Physical Education Teachers’ Job Satisfaction

Grounded in occupational socialization theory, the authors examined adapted physical education (APE) teachers' job satisfaction. Twelve (nine female and three male) APE teachers who had 3-43 years of teaching experience participated in the study. A semistructured interview was employed. The interviews focused on the participants' roles and responsibilities. The following questions guided this study: (a) What social agents positively impact APE teachers' job satisfaction? (b)what APE teachers' roles and responsibilities are related to job satisfaction? and (c)what type of working conditions are linked to APE teachers' job satisfaction? Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data. The following four themes emerged from the analysis: (a) support from administrators, physical education teachers, and colleagues; (b)relevant and meaningful professional development; (c)itinerant working conditions; and (d)seeing students' progress and achievement. The results of this study provide several implications to enhance APE teachers' job satisfaction.

Teachers’ preparedness to deliver remote adapted physical education from different European perspectives: Updates to the European Standards in Adapted Physical Activity

ABSTRACT When schools were closed due to the COVID-19 restrictions, teachers were challenged to engage children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) through remote teaching, particularly in physical education. The European Standards in Adapted Physical Activity (EUSAPA) have been used to define the competencies of adapted physical education (APE) teachers. Through a consensus building exercise, the standards were updated in this paper to include technologically supported pedagogy. Evidence from 125 APE teachers, who completed a technological communication inventory, modified versions of the technology, pedagogy and content knowledge scale (TPACK-21), and self-efficacy on including students with disabilities in physical education scale (SE-PETE-D), were used to inform experts to create technological indicators for the EUSAPA. Teachers used 3 to 4 technologies (email, phone, SMS, Whatsapp) to communicate with students and colleagues, and many reported low levels of technological content knowledge. Experts considered the need to add 13 new functions to the EUSAPA. Most of the functions were considered to be feasible to implement in existing practices and the other requiring extra resources or skills. As further training is planned, consideration of expertise is warranted when mapped against meeting standards.

The experiences and understandings of the K-13 curriculum implementation of Indonesian teachers of Adapted Physical Education (APE)

The purpose of this study was to illuminate the experiences and understandings of adaptive physical education (APE) teachers in their implementation of the newly introduced K-13 curriculum in special needs schools (SLB) in Indonesia. This research is a replication of previous research (Sigid XXABSTRACT Setiawan, 2018) conducted with primary school physical education (PE) teachers. Twenty-six APE teachers aged 28-39 years (X = 34.04, SD = 3.46) who worked with various disabilities in SLB were involved as participants. Data collected were observations, interviews, and documentation working within a phenomenological framework. Results indicated that teachers’ experiences of the K-13 implementation were focused on (1) the acquisition of basic knowledge and competence, (2) the adoption of the scientific approach, (3) the use of authentic assessment, and (4) awareness of the supporting and inhibiting factors. The understandings arising from these experiences were that: (1) the required knowledge of APE SLB teachers could be found within the supporting government publications; (2) the scientific approach placed systematic student problem solving at its core, and; (3) authentic assessment involves a comprehensive focus on the learning and development of skills, attitudes and knowledge. A comparison of these findings with those of the primary teacher study showed that some of the additional understandings revealed by the Adapted PE teachers reflected some of the specific demands and challenges facing teachers in the context of special needs education. This research should serve as a reference for novice teachers in emphasizing that good K-13 curriculum learning at all levels must involve preparation for its implementation and its assessment. Recommendations for the value of ongoing research of this nature with a broader cohort of teachers are made.

Interprofessional Collaboration: Training Preservice Adapted Physical Education Teachers to Facilitate Peer Engagement Among Children With Disabilities

PurposeSpeech-language pathologists (SLPs) and adapted physical education (APE) teachers working in schools have a distinct opportunity to collaborate and serve students with communication and movement needs.MethodTwenty-three preservice APE teachers were given a brief presentation led by SLPs and then rated using a fidelity checklist during the duration of a summer physical activity camp for children with disabilities. A cumulative link mixed model was used to determine APE preservice teachers' ability to facilitate peer engagement and social interaction among children with disabilities within tasks related to their discipline following speech-language pathology training and live coaching.ResultsFollowing intervention, preservice APE teachers demonstrated significant gains in increasing peer engagement between campers with disabilities. In addition, observers rated the preservice APE teachers as more skilled in demonstrating comprehension of and implementing the engagement techniques.DiscussionResults indicate even a brief in-service from SLPs to APE preservice teachers can help them better recognize and support opportunities for peer engagement for children with disabilities while targeting tasks related to their discipline. Future research is warranted with a larger sample size to elucidate collaboration opportunities that promote optimal outcomes for children with needs across disciplines.

Curricular Approaches Used by Adapted PE Teachers

Within adapted physical education (APE), there is a lack of knowledge regarding content and attitudes toward curricular domains, which can influence student learning. This study assessed APE teachers’ attitudes toward four curricular domains. Participants (n = 219) completed a modified version of the Attitudes Toward Curriculum in Physical Education inventory. Results indicated that the importance of all domains, but higher for social development and physical activity. Understanding the content taught in APE will help teacher educators create programs that will provide preservice teachers with the content knowledge and pedagogy skills to meet the needs of their students.Subscribe to TPE

Adapted Physical Education Collaborative Consulting: A Systematic Literature Review

The purpose of this review was to analyze English language articles that addressed collaborative consulting in adapted physical education (APE). A systematic process was used to search the literature in six different databases. First, article quality was analyzed. Subsequently, thematic categorization of data was performed. Eleven articles published between 1995 and 2015 that satisfied the criteria for inclusion in the study were selected. The results were organized into seven thematic categories: the concept and definition of consultation, the role of the APE consultant, the planning and documentation of APE consulting, the stages of APE consulting, general physical education and APE teachers’ perceptions regarding consulting, major challenges of APE consulting, and collaborative work training for physical education teachers. In conclusion, although research remains scarce, all of the selected articles reinforce the relevance of collaborative consulting for including students with disabilities in general physical education settings. Further investigation, particularly through empirical studies, must be encouraged.

‘We’re asking teachers to do more with less': perspectives on least restrictive environment implementation in physical education

ABSTRACT The current practice of the least restrictive environment (LRE) policy in physical education (PE) settings is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to explore how PE and adapted physical education (APE) teachers make placement decisions and what factors impact those practices. Qualitative data were collected via survey and follow-up interviews with 78 (30 PE, 48 APE) and 12 (five PE, seven APE) teachers, respectively. Through a qualitative description design, four themes emerged: (a) the importance and pitfalls of teacher education, (b) APE teachers involved, PE teachers not, (c) lack of resources challenge LRE implementation and (d) demanding duties exacerbated by perceived marginalization. Findings suggest that the teacher education programs did not provide enough real-world experience in making LRE decisions. Further, PE and APE teachers felt that marginalization prevented the appropriate practice of the special education policy.

Graduate students’ practicum experiences instructing students with severe and profound disabilities in physical education

Students with disabilities are more likely than ever to be educated in physical education classes with their typically developing peers. Because of this, it is essential for all educational personnel, including physical educators, to have proper teacher education to help meet the unique needs of these students. Currently, the research base is underdeveloped with regard to the meaning that graduate-level pre-service adapted physical education (APE) specialists ascribe to practicum experiences teaching students with severe and profound disabilities during their graduate teacher education. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to describe and explain graduate students’ experiences instructing students with severe and profound disabilities during course-related practicum experiences. This study utilized a descriptive-qualitative approach using an exploratory case study design and was interpreted through the lens of occupational socialization theory. Nine graduate students enrolled in two master’s level APE programmes acted as participants for this study. As part of their coursework, each student completed a 200 hour hands-on practicum experience teaching students with severe and profound disabilities. Data were collected during this practicum experience through semi-structured interviews, follow-up email correspondence, and demographic questionnaires. Three themes, explainable through the use of organizational socialization theory, emerged, and were: (1) the ambiguous roles of APE teachers; (2) the need for specialized expertise; and (3) reality shock-unpredictable behaviors. Although each of the participants expressed some difficulties during the experience, they also described degrees of success in contributing to the education of students with severe and profound disabilities.

Tablet Technology to Monitor Physical Education IEP Goals and Benchmarks

The Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates that all children who are eligible for special education services receive an individualized education program (IEP). Adapted physical education (APE) professionals who teach physical education to children with disabilities are challenged with how to best collect and monitor student performance data in order to report student IEP goal progress. The purpose of this article is to inform APE professionals about effective methods for using tablets to more efficiently monitor physical education IEP goal performance and progress. More specifically, the article will describe the development and implementation of electronic data collection worksheets on tablets. The customization and implementation of these worksheets on tablets allows APE teachers to easily collect student performance data. Analysis and justification of student learning in a variety of settings with technology reduces the challenges of meeting diverse student needs and caseloads often encountered by APE teachers. Electronic data tracking on tablets is well worth the time and effort because it will ultimately result in more effective compliance, instruction and student learning.

Survey development to assess parental satisfaction with adapted physical education teachers' abilities working with children with autism

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to systematically develop and validate an instrument to assess parental perceptions toward adapted physical education (APE) teachers, who work with children with autism.Methods: Participants included two expert panels and parents of children and youth with autism. The survey used a Likert-scale design where parents rated their level of satisfaction regarding communication with, qualifications of, and rapport with the APE teachers.Results: Based on α coefficients for each of the three subscales, it was concluded that the survey had high internal validity. Split-half reliability determined by the Spearman Brown Prophecy coefficient indicated high reliability.Conclusion: Preliminary evidence demonstrated that the survey may be a useful tool in assessing parental perceptions of their child's APE teacher.

Remote Video Supervision in Adapted Physical Education

Supervision for beginning adapted physical education (APE) teachers and inservice general physical education teachers who are learning to work with students with disabilities poses a number of challenges. The purpose of this article is to describe a project aimed at developing a remote video system that could be used by a university supervisor to reduce travel time and costs while increasing both the timing and the quality of the feedback provided to teachers. More specifically, this article demonstrates two ways in which a remote video camera, worn by a teacher, can be used to provide feedback and improve the pedagogical skills of APE teachers.

Adapted Physical Education Teachers’ Concerns in Teaching Students with Disabilities in an Urban Public School District

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not adapted physical education (APE) teachers had job‐related concerns associated with teaching students with disabilities in an urban public school district. The participants were six experienced, itinerant APE teachers, who taught in urban public schools in a midwestern state in the United States. The research method was a collective case study situated in concerns theory. Data were collected from teacher interviews, on‐site observations, and stimulated recall sessions. Case analyses and cross‐case analyses were conducted using constant comparative procedures. Findings indicate that the teachers had job‐related concerns explainable within the tenets of concerns theory. They also had concerns not situated within concerns theory that were unique to their itinerant status.

Roles and Responsibilities of Adapted Physical Education Teachers in an Urban School District

The purpose of this study is to examine the roles and responsibilities of itinerant adapted physical education (APE) teachers at urban public schools. A second purpose is to determine how they execute their roles and responsibilities. Participants include six women with experience as itinerant APE teachers from the same urban school district. The research method is exploratory multiple-case study. Data are collected from focused interviews and on-site observations. Constant comparative procedures are used for within-case and cross-case analyses. Several themes emerge from the data. These themes are (a) teaching as obligatory, (b) self-reliant, and (c) teaching effectiveness relative and contextually situated. Gaining a better understanding of the experiences of practicing APE teachers in urban public schools who teach a diversity of students is important to the preparation of future teachers.

The Prevalence-Based Need for Adapted Physical Education Teachers in the United States

The purpose was to develop a method for projecting the need for adapted physical education (APE) teachers in the public schools in the United States. This method was derived from a prevalence-based model—dividing the number of APE students enrolled by the APE student-teacher ratio and then subtracting the number of APE teachers hired. This model used the findings of Kelly and Gansneder (1998) that (a) 4% of the school population required APE services and (b) the overall national APE student-teacher ratio was 104:1. The results revealed a need for 22, 116 additional APE teachers nationwide as well as specific projections for each state. The prevalence-based projection method is recommended for policy makers at local, state, and national levels; for APE advocates; and for all concerned with APE personnel preparation and employment.

A Statewide Survey of Adapted Physical Education Service Delivery and Teacher In-Service Training

The purpose of the study was to examine student placements, use of least restrictive environment (LRE) options, teachers’ perceived needs, curriculum content, and activity options in regular physical education (RPE) and adapted physical education (APE) during a period of restructuring from segregated to LRE placements. The Integration Status Questionnaire (ISQ) was used to obtain data with a return rate of 37% among RPE teachers and 78% among APE teachers. Of the 1,627 students receiving APE, 714 were being served in self-contained settings, with no reliable data available as to disability categories of children served or other LRE options being used. The majority of teachers in both groups had received general in-service training for inclusion, but only 4% had received in-service training specific to physical education content. The examination of curriculum content indicated that RPE teachers spent the majority of teaching time on sport skills and traditional games while APE teachers concentrated on sensory motor development and health-related fitness.