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The purpose of this study was to explore the views of visually impaired youth about teacher-initiated activity modifications during integrated physical education. This experiential qualitative study included 18 visually impaired youth (ages 12-15 years; seven girls, 11 boys). Each participant completed two semi-structured interviews as data sources for this study. Four themes were constructed based on a reflexive thematic analysis of the interview data: (a) modifications interpreted as care; (b) "the angel and the devil": modifications highlighting impairment; (c) the two-way street to modifications; and (d) modifications are Band-Aids over flawed activities and curriculum. These themes expand upon the current literature by describing how visually impaired youth understand their experiences with modifications in integrated physical education contexts. For many of the participants, activity modifications represented a tangible example of physical education teachers caring for them and caring about their needs. As such, some support for previously explicated benefits of modifications is provided. However, a number of concerns were also raised by our participants about modifications, such as modifications representing poorly conceptualized Band-Aids over poorly constructed activities, as well as modifications spotlighting differences and impairments. Finally, modifications that are promoted as simple and superficial ideas by the literature and executed by physical educators without communication with students appear to be unfavored by visually impaired students. This finding provides further support for the need to shift pedagogical strategies and teaching behaviors to become more flexible and student-centered.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore blind and visually impaired students' opinions on ways to improve physical education. Method: Twenty-two blind and visually impaired youth (age 12–17 years) completed one-to-one interviews. Three themes were constructed using a reflexive thematic analysis approach. Findings: The first theme depicted participants' views that physical education was a break during the day that did not have educational benefits. In the second theme, the participants highlighted communication and collaboration as important elements that could improve their experiences. The final theme centered on the nonexistent, insufficient, or demoralizing nature of seldom existing accommodations. Discussion: Blind and visually impaired students noted aspects of curriculum content, communication, and accommodations in physical education that may be changed to enhance their experiences, which largely centered on their physical educators' behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which in-service physical education teachers construct their self-efficacy beliefs toward teaching students with disabilities in general physical education classes. Using a qualitative descriptive approach situated within self-efficacy theory, data were collected via semistructured audio-recorded interviews with 16 in-service physical educators. Three interrelated themes were constructed: (a) The more I do it, the better I feel: the importance of professional experiences; (b) I've learned from others: the influence of colleagues; and (c) Being in the general educational setting is a challenge: the impact of contextual factors. Findings supported the influence of the four sources of self-efficacy (i.e., mastery experience, vicarious experience, social persuasion, and affective and physiological state), in addition to potential contextual factors (i.e., class sizes and availability of hands-on support), impacting participants' self-efficacy to teach students with disabilities in general physical education classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most children with disabilities are included in general physical education (Snyder, de Brey & Dillow, 2016). Unfortunately, interviews with students with disabilities suggest that they often do not feel they have been properly accommodated and welcomed by their physical education teacher (Lieberman & Block, 2017). Additionally, physical educators consistently report not feeling adequately prepared for inclusion (Obrusnikova & Block, 2016). It is well known that most physical education teacher education programs only require one course in adapted physical education, and information in these courses tend to focus on disabilities, legal requirements, and general strategies for modifications (Kwon, 2018; Piletic & Davis, 2010). Placing a child with a disability in general physical education without support may not meet the intent of inclusion. Perhaps adding a rationale for inclusion and for accommodating and welcoming students with disabilities could be presented through a social justice lens. The purpose of this paper is to present the use of social justice in introductory adapted physical education courses as a means of changing future physical educators' attitudes toward working with students with disabilities. The paper will begin with an introduction of ableism and an ablelistic mindset that can lead to stereotypes and prejudice. This will be followed by a definition of social justice and presentation of the three key principles of social justice (equality, equity, and participation) with application to training future physical educators. Keywords: General physical education, adapted physical education, disabilities, teacher training, social justice, Introduction The number of students with disabilities who are included in general education has steadily increased over the past 30 years. As of 2019, 95% of students with disabilities (aged [...]

The purpose of this article is to examine the content of previously published empirical literature utilizing self-efficacy theory with regard to physical education teachers' perceived self-confidence to teach students with disabilities in general physical education. Keyword searches were used to identify relevant literature from electronic databases published from 2000 to 2022. Twenty-four articles, from 11 countries, met all inclusion criteria, and relevant data regarding participants, theory, measurement, research design, and dependent variables were extracted. Of the 24 studies, nine were survey validation, eight were experimental, six were cross-sectional, and one was mixed-methods design. Major findings across the examined studies indicate that teachers' perceptions of training, amount of experience, and support from personnel significantly influence their self-efficacy toward teaching students with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored visually impaired youths' perspectives toward feeling valued in integrated physical education. Situated in an experiential qualitative approach, this study utilized inclusion understood as an intersubjective experience broadly, and feeling valued specifically, as a conceptual lens to guide and inform methodological and data interpretation decisions. Eighteen visually impaired youth completed two interviews each using video conference technology or phone call, and audio recorded, transcribed, and subjected to reflexive thematic analysis. Three interrelated themes were constructed, depicting the participants experiences and perspectives of what it means to be valued, and if they felt valued, within integrated physical education: (a) feeling valued is contingent on others, (b) value is unavailable without accessibility, and (c) being valued for possessing (non-athletic) characteristics. Participants described feeling valued or unvalued based on accommodative (e.g. peers acknowledging their impairment) or un-accommodative (e.g. teachers forgetting their impairment and needs) experiences with others within the PE context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the inclusiveness of visually impaired youths' experiences in integrated physical education. An experiential qualitative research approach was utilized, and 22 visually impaired youth (age 12–17 years) acted as participants. Data sources included one-on-one Zoom interviews, written responses to long-answer prompts, and reflexive interview notes. Data were analyzed using a reflexive thematic analysis approach, and three themes were constructed: (a) I'm not there, so how could I: The absent person; (b) I can't see, so I can't do it: The incapable person; and (c) It'd be nice to feel like everyone else: The "normal" person. Participants described that feelings of inclusion were unavailable to them and that feeling, and being viewed as, absent, incapable, and (not) "normal" highlighted this unavailability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variety of pedagogical practices have been proposed, described, and promoted by scholars in an effort to help enhance the experiences of visually impaired students in integrated physical education. Trained peer tutoring, where a nondisabled student is trained to serve as a peer tutor for a disabled student, is among them. However, little research has been done that engages directly with visually impaired students about their views and experiences with these pedagogical practices. Using belonging as a conceptual lens to guide and inform methodological and data interpretation decisions, our purpose was to elicit the views of visually impaired youth regarding the use of trained peer tutors in integrated physical education classes. Sixteen visually impaired youth completed two interviews about their views toward physical education generally and the concept of peer tutoring specifically. Interviews were conducted via video conference technology, and were recorded, transcribed, and subjected to thematic analysis. Three interrelated themes were constructed that depict the participants views toward the concept of peer tutoring: (a) peer tutoring might enhance belonging ... maybe, (b) shouldn't this just happen naturally?, and (c) this is not for me. The themes provide insights into the views of visually impaired youth toward peer tutoring as a strategy that may not be supportive of feelings of belonging within integrated physical education. Rather, participants were largely dismissive of the strategy, suggesting that any help needed within this context should be navigated outside of formal pedagogical strategies that may alienate visually impaired students by identifying them as 'needing help'. These findings support suggestions for physical educators to implement this practice only after first permitting students to engage with friends to navigate physical education spaces, and then only afterwards at the discretion of the student. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]