A Review of Student Attitudes Toward Inclusion in Physical Education
Students with varying disabilities are part of educational systems all around the world. However, ways to improve their experiences in school systems serving predominantly able-bodied peers are seldom talked about. To create a more inclusive environment for students with disabilities, we must first understand the factors which improve perceptions of disabilities and use this data to improve all students’ experiences in schools.
Often students who are more accepting of peers with disabilities have previously interacted with people with disabilities Children who have a family member or friend with a disability are naturally more accepting towards classmates with have a disability, and they are more likely to be flexible with adaptations made in classes for students who need accommodations. Reina et al., 2019 theorizes that close contact with peers with disabilities fosters knowledge about disabilities, as well as the capabilities of their peers, which fosters a more positive attitude towards students with disabilities. Therefore, implementing education regarding disabilities in school systems may be a positive step towards school-wide inclusion.
Gender also played a role in students’ perceptions of inclusion. Reina et al., 2019 also found that girls showed more favorable attitudes towards inclusion than boys; these differences are likely a result of girls having had more experience with people with disabilities. Therefore, it is important to consider what kinds of intervention strategies may help boys become more tolerant of adaptations for disabilities as well.
Perception and understanding of ability also influence how students perceive their peers with disabilities. Reina et al., 2019 next explains the entity theory, which is the belief that an ability is a fixed trait which cannot be changed. In this context, students with a high entity belief do not think that their peers with disabilities are able to achieve the same level of success as those without disabilities. Unsurprisingly, students with a higher entity belief were less tolerant of their peers with disabilities than those with a lower entity belief. Reina et al., 2019 also found that this was especially prevalent in physical education classes, as students with high entity beliefs who were more competitive were less tolerant of adaptations for students with disabilities because they felt it would mess up the activity. Conversely, students with a low entity belief were much more tolerant of adaptations, likely because they understood that this would enable pParticipation.
These three factors can ground further exploration of how students become more accepting of disabilities, but there is still much to learn. Discovering other influential factors, as well as effective intervention solutions, is crucial for improving the experience in educational systems for all children.
By Arielle Papalimberis, Research Assistant at the Center for Social Development and Education