Is There a Difference Between How School Children with and Without Special Needs Enjoy and Experience Inclusion in Physical Education?

Julie Dalgaard Guldager, Anette Bentholm, Laura Mørk Emtoft

Research output: Contribution to conference without a publisher/journalPaperResearchpeer-review

Abstract

In European nations, the approaches to incorporating children with special needs into educational settings differ. Several countries, including Denmark, have adopted inclusive education to different extents. In this context, children with special needs participate in mainstream primary schools alongside their peers without similar requirements. Denmark stands out as a country where public schools accommodate children with special needs, and the option of attending a special school is reserved for situations demanding substantial support. Consequently, a considerable number of students with special needs are integrated into the mainstream environment of Danish public schools.

Nearly one in 10 students in Danish primary schools have special needs, which may manifest as autism, ADHD, depression, OCD, or anxiety (Children's Aid Foundation, 2022). Further, the proportion of students with psychiatric diagnoses has increased by 42% over the last 10 years (Kleding, 2023).

Many students with special needs require extra care or attention and participate less in physical education than their peers (Bentholm, 2017). Moreover, many physical education teachers report feeling that they lack the competencies needed to include these students in their classes (Andreasen et al., 2022). One-third of all students with special needs are exempt from one or more subjects in Danish school, and the subject most exempted is physical education (Disabled People’s Organisations Denmark, 2019). This is concerning, as research has also found that children on the autism spectrum are less physically active in school and leisure compared to children without diagnoses (Pan et al., 2016; Pilgaard et al., 2022). Additionally, children with special needs may face challenges with motor skills, attention, and social interaction, which could contribute to their lower levels of physical activity (Guthold et al., 2019; Pan et al., 2016). On the other hand, research also indicates that being physically active in school can contribute to strengthening students' self-esteem and well-being (Huang & Brittain, 2006).

The school is an ideal setting to work on strengthening and building students' relationships and communities through physical activities (Holt & Christiansen, 2017; Molbæk et al., 2015; Petersen, 2014). Furthermore, teachers in Danish primary schools are obligated to organize and conduct lessons where all students have the opportunity to thrive and develop within the social and academic communities of the school (Ministry of Children and Education, 2012).

The purpose of the present study is, to explore students' and physical education teachers' experiences in including students with special needs in physical education.

Pupils experiencing various degrees of disabilities or impairments (mental, social, or behavioral challenges), which pose a challenge for them in terms of participating in physical education on equal terms with their peers, are referred to as children with special needs.

Method
This study uses mixed methods, where both the quantitative and qualitative methods were applied in both data collection and data analysis (Johnson, Onwuegbuzie & Turner, 2007). The study captures the perspectives of students' and teachers/social educators teaching physical education in Danish public school (children aged six to 16) (referred to as “PE teachers” in the study) The quantitative data were collected by sending an electronic questionnaire to six public schools in Denmark, disseminated through our network, by social media, two podcast episodes targeting PE teachers, and through a conference targeting PE teachers. In total, 428 of 498 students completed the questionnaire. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS statistics. Informants for interviews were recruited through the questionnaire survey, where all informants were asked if they wished to participate in an interview; our networks, and through the before mentioned conference. All interviews were conducted online. The interview study is based on interviews with 16 PE teachers and were conducted through group interviews. The interview guide included both open-ended questions and questions based on the results from the questionnaire survey. Data was analyzed using "framework analysis" (Ritchie & Spencer, 1994), coding was conducted within the framework of the interview guide, and the analytical findings were discussed and validated within the author group. Nvivo was used to facilitate the process of data analysis.

Expected Outcomes
Results show that while the majority of pupils in general enjoy physical education, children with special needs have less enjoyment of physical education that children without special needs. Furthermore, in general, most children experience to be included in physical education class. However, for all six questions regarding inclusion in physical education class, fewer pupils with special needs than pupils without special needs agreed with the proposed questions. However, only responses to two of six questions were statistically significant. Most teachers have experience teaching students with psychological, social, or behavioral difficulties in physical education, and this group of students is the predominant focus in the interviews. Teachers explained how students with autism, Asperger's syndrome, and ADHD face challenges in ignoring and interpreting sensory impressions in physical education. These students struggle to decode social rules and need predictability, clear guidelines, and adult support in physical education. Further, teachers regularly face students who require various special considerations, which they actively take into account in their teaching. Many teachers in the upper grades experience that a significant number of teenage students struggle with having physical contact with each other, for example, during apparatus activities. Thus, our findings indicate that many teachers encounter students with psychological, social, or behavioral difficulties, as well as mild or severe motor difficulties, or visual and hearing impairments in physical education. We also observe indications that some teachers: may not find it possible to include these students in physical education; lack the necessary skills and teaching materials and experience a lack of sufficient resources. To successfully include students with special needs in physical education, it may require both local prioritization within schools and a consideration of structural aspects at the political level, such as responsibility distribution, organization, and resource allocation within the physical education domain.

References
Andreasen, A.G., Rangvid, B.S. & Lindeberg, N. H. (2022). Støtte, støttebehov og elevresultater - Delrapport 1. Inkluderende læringsmiljøer og specialpædagogisk bistand VIVE. The Danish Center for Social Science Research. Bentholm, A. (2017). Du må ikke løbe uden for banen. En processociologisk undersøgelse af inklusion af elever med autisme og ADHD i skoleidrætten. University of Copenhagen. Ministry of Children and Education (2012). Regler om inklusion. Tilgået 12. maj 2023: Children's Aid Foundation. (2022). Børn med særlige behov trives dårligere i skolen end deres klassekammerater. Accessed January 29th 2024. Disabled People’s Organisations Denmark (2020). Undersøgelse om inklusion i grundskolen. Accessed January 29th 2024. Guldager, J.D., Andersen, M.F., Christensen, A.B., Bertelsen, K. & Christiansen, L.B. (2023). Status på IdrætsFaget 2022. Idrætsundervisernes oplevelse af idrætsfaget og udviklingen af faget gennem årene. Research and Implementation Centre for Human Movement and Learning (FIIBL). Guthold, R., Stevens, G.A., Riley, L.M. & Bull, F.C. (2019). Global trends in insufficient physical activity among adolescents: A pooled analysis of 298 population-based surveys with 1.6 million participants. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. 4(1), 23–35 Holt, A-D. & Christiansen, L. B. (2017). Inklusion og eksklusion i skolens bevægelsesfællesskaber. MOV:E special edition 2017. Research and Implementation Centre for Human Movement and Learning (FIIBL). Huang, C. & Brittain, I. (2006). Negotiating identities through Disability Sport. Sociology of Sport Journal. 23(4), 352-375. Johnson R.B., Onwuegbuzie, A.J. & Turner, L.A. (2007). Toward a Definition of Mixed Methods Research. Journal of Mixed Methods Research. 1(2)112-133. Kleding, E. (2023). Stigningen fortsætter: Flere og flere elever ender i specialtilbud. Momentum. 03, 15. årgang, KL. Molbæk, M., Quvang, C. & Sørensen, H. L. (2015). Deltagelse og forskellighed - en grundbog om inklusion og specialpædagogik i lærerpraksis. Hans Reitzels Forlag. Pan, C-Y, Tsai, C-L, Chu, C-H, Sung, M-C, Ma, W-Y, Huang, C-Y. (2016). Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Health-Related Physical Fitness in Secondary School-Aged Male Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Physical Therapy. 96(4), 511-520. Petersen, K. R. (2014). Inklusion: En guide til inkluderende praksis i skolen. Hans Reitzels Forlag. Pilgaard, M., Elmose-Østerlund, K., Engell, Z., Bilberg, L. & Toftgård, N. A. (2022). Idræt for mennesker for funktionsnedsættelse i Danmark. Litteraturreview og analyser fra Danmark i Bevægelse. Idrættens Analyseinstitut. Ritchie, J & Spencer, L. (1994). Qualitative Data Analysis for Applied Policy Research. In: B. Bryman & R. Burgess (red.), Analyzing qualitative data (p. 173–194). Routledge.
Original languageEnglish
Publication date30 Aug 2024
Publication statusPublished - 30 Aug 2024
EventECER 2024: Education in an Age of Uncertainty: memory and hope for the future - The University Of Cypres, Nicosia, Cyprus
Duration: 27 Aug 202430 Aug 2024
https://eera-ecer.de/conferences/ecer-2024-nicosia

Conference

ConferenceECER 2024
LocationThe University Of Cypres
Country/TerritoryCyprus
CityNicosia
Period27/08/2430/08/24
Internet address

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  • Bevægende idræt

    Guldager, J. D. (Principle researcher)

    01/03/2331/12/24

    Project: Research

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