Measuring self-efficacy, aptitude to participate and functioning in students with and without impairments

Abstract

Including vulnerable groups of students such as students with learning disabilities in mainstream school research, require ethical considerations and adapting questionnaires to make these accessible. As a consequence these students are excluded, not studied as a separate group, or give inadequate replies. This pilot study aims at developing and evaluating student self-reported measures, rating aspects of student experiences of school-based Physical Education (PE). Instrument design, reliability and validity were examined in 47 Swedish secondary school students, aged 13, with and without impairment and test-retested on 28 of these students.Psychometric results were confirmed in analyses based on replies from the first wave of data collection in the main study (n=451). Results show adequate internal consistency, factor structure and relations between measures. In conclusion, reliability and validity were satisfactory in scales to measure self-efficacy in general, in PE, and prerequisites for participation. Adapting proxy ratings for functioning into self-reports indicated problems, and were adjusted. Adequacy of adjustments made were confirmed and suggested adaptations are outlined.

Inclusive Teaching Skills and Student Engagement in Physical Education

“…Despite functional limitations, findings in this study indicate that all groups of students were equally engaged in PE. In addition, a strong relationship (r = 0.76) between PE specific self-efficacy and aptitude to participate was previously established (Bertills et al, 2018a). The significant associations found in the current study between student engagement and the self-reported questionnaires indicate that student perceived self-efficacy in PE and aptitude to participate are also reflected in observed student engagement during PE lessons.…”

“…Earlier findings show that the teacher is one vital factor to the inclusive classroom climate, since teacher-students relationships affect student-student relationships (Falkmer, 2013) and a positive classroom climate fosters student engagement (Furrer and Skinner, 2003). It has also been suggested that PE-teachers' ratings of the classroom climate, serve as a social indicator of how students experience their learning environment and is most beneficial to students with disabilities, compared to peers with typical function (Bertills et al, 2018a). By positioning themselves in communicative proximity to their students, teachers may increase opportunities for individualized instructions, feed-back and feed-forward, but also affect the classroom climate positively by supplying support to those in need to overcome barriers and balance functional restrictions (Giangreco et al, 1997).…”

Relationships between physical education (PE) teaching and student self-efficacy, aptitude to participate in PE and functional skills: with a special focus on students with disabilities

“…Following a checklist manual with quality standards (Mokkink et al 2010), psychometric properties of the instruments were evaluated in a pilot-study. The scales were found to be accessible, valid and reliable (Bertills, Granlund, and Augustine 2017). Moderate correlations between the self-efficacy and functioning scales indicated that they measured different aspects of ability and competence.…”

Student Self-Efficacy and Aptitude to Participate in Relation to Perceived Functioning and Achievement in Students in Secondary School With and Without Disabilities

“…Student questionnaires (see Supplementary Material ) were evaluated in a trial study ( Bertills et al, 2018a ). Internal consistency, factor structure, and relations between measures were investigated.…”

“…Therefore, longitudinal approaches are needed to study the directionality of relationships and stability of scores and provide insight to developmental trends ( Sabiston et al, 2014 ) of students’ self-reported experiences in early adolescence. Moreover, students with disabilities need to be studied as a separate group ( Bertills et al, 2018a ).…”