A review of the literature on inclusive pedagogy in physical education 2005-2015

Abstract

Inclusive Education (IE) has been an important aspect of the Australian education system for several decades (Armstrong, Armstrong & Barton, 2009). Students with disabilities (SWD) have a right to IE (Disability and Discrimination Act [DDA], 1992) and their development requires support, facilitation and the skill set from teachers to provide meaningful participation across all areas of the curriculum. However, there is limited information in Australia on how pre-service Physical Education (PE) teachers feel about their own ability to deliver inclusive pedagogy to SWD. This paper uses a thematic approach derived from Wallhead and O’Sullivan (2005) to examine 22 peer-reviewed journal articles. The aim was to determine themes which can contribute to understanding the attitudes of pre-service PE teachers and their self-efficacy to design and enact inclusive pedagogy for SWD. Four themes and their implications emerged from the literature, these included; (a) measurements to examine attitudes of pre-service PE teachers, (b) exploring pre-service PE teacher’s self-efficacy; (c) the effects of pre-service PE teachers’ practicum experiences; and (d) investigating the hands-on opportunities in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) programs. This review highlights inclusive pedagogy is inconsistently practiced at a pre-service level thereby affecting how pre-service PE teachers think when working with SWD. Subsequently, inconsistent practice requires PETE programs to review how inclusive pedagogy is incorporated into student learning outcomes for pre-service PE teachers to develop knowledge and practice for inclusion and, if it adequately prepares them to teach SWD. Research (Hodge & Elliot, 2013; Mangope, Mannathoko & Kuyini, 2013; Pedersen, Cooley & Hernandez, 2014) indicates inclusive pedagogy requires ongoing development at a pre-service level in order to increase the self-efficacy of pre-service teachers to provide meaningful opportunities for SWD in PE. From this review, the authors have identified there is a need to explore Australian pre-service PE teachers and their self-efficacy to design and enact inclusive pedagogy. Subsequently, further study needs to explore inclusive pedagogy in PE on a state-wide basis and how it can become embedded throughout an entire PETE program. 75 Learning Communities | Special Issue: 2017 30th AChPER International Conference | Number 21 – November 2017