Physical education teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion of students with disabilities in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The attitudes of physical education (PE) teachers toward inclusion are critical to the successful provision of inclusive teaching for students with disabilities. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes of Saudi Arabian PE teachers toward the inclusion of students with disabilities in PE classes and the effect of sociodemographic variables (e.g., gender and length of teaching experience) on their attitudes toward inclusion. A total of 1,314 PE teachers (Mage = 41.09, SD = 9.40, females = 42.8%) completed the Arabic version of the Sentiments, Attitudes, and Concerns about Inclusive Education-Revised Scale (SACIE-R). Analyses found that, in general, PE teachers had moderately positive attitudes toward the inclusion of students with disabilities in PE lessons. A significant difference was found between the two genders in their attitudes toward inclusion. Specifically, female PE teachers demonstrated more positive attitudes toward inclusion than males. Multiple linear regression analysis, meanwhile, showed that the length of teaching experience and the experience of teaching a student with a disability were significant predictors of participants’ attitudes toward inclusion. Our findings highlighted the importance of reconsidering the quality of PE teachers’ experiences and interactions with students with disabilities as a means to improving their attitudes, which in turn would translate into successful inclusion.

Primary Students’ Attitudes towards Peers with Disabilities in Physical Education in Saudi Arabia

“…This low percentage is expected and does not concern us given the situation of people with disabilities in Saudi Arabia. Indeed, although the state guarantees the rights of citizens and their families in times of emergency, illness, disability and old age, there has been a growing tendency to view disability through the medical model rather than social [ 5 ]. People with disabilities are still stigmatized by their family members who associate disability with a kind of powerlessness and lifelong dependence, so the person with disability is isolated at home, excluded from social gatherings, and sometimes forbidden from family visits [ 48 , 49 ].…”

“…Inclusion in general educational frameworks, including in general physical education settings, has been implemented globally in Sweden [ 1 ], South Korea [ 2 ], Greece [ 3 ], Japan [ 4 ], and Saudi Arabia [ 5 ]. Inclusion is the educational philosophy of teaching students with disabilities together with their peers without disabilities in the same classes and meeting the necessary and essential requirements for all students to be successful [ 6 ].…”

Actitudes de los docentes de educación básica hacia la educación inclusiva: una revisión sistemática

“…Los resultados de las investigaciones coinciden en que el proceso de inclusión de alumnos con y sin discapacidad representa una tarea ardua en proceso de construcción. De Al mismo tiempo existen variables sociodemográficas del docente que se relacionan con las actitudes, tal como el género, (Alhumaid et al, 2022;Alasim & Paull, 2019;Butakor et al, 2020) destacan que las mujeres tienen actitudes más positivas hacia la inclusión que los hombres, sin embargo, Solís & Resino (2022) encontró en su estudio lo contario, los hombres presentan actitudes más positivas que las mujeres. Otra variable importante es la edad (Collado et al, 2020;Frumos, 2018;Solís & Resino, 2022) indican que los docentes de menor edad tienen actitudes más positivas en comparación con los de mayor edad.…”

Attitudes of Physical Education Teachers towards the Participation of Students with Disabilities in the Physical Education Class in Schools

“…PE teachers' attitudes toward inclusion are critical to the success of providing inclusive instruction to students with disabilities (Alhumaid, 2022). Laws and regulations stipulate the inclusion of children with special needs in general physical education (GPE) classes with general physical education teachers (Combs, et al, 2010), and prevailing rights and quality of life approaches require the inclusion of people with diversity and/or disabilities in society, including It is their participation in the educational system.…”

“…While many researchers emphasized the need for additional studies that could shed more light on the influencing factors involved in shaping teachers' attitudes toward inclusion, as well as on their inclusion practices. (Icon, et al, 2019), but the attitudes of physical education (PE) teachers towards inclusion are critical to the success of providing equitable teaching to students with disabilities (Alhumaid, 2022).…”