Strategies to Increase Self-, Student, and Discipline Advocacy in Adapted Physical Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 004005992110188
Author(s):  
Alyssa M. Trad ◽  
K. Andrew R. Richards ◽  
Wesley J. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Individualized Education Program ◽  
Adapted Physical Education ◽  
Physical Education Teachers ◽  
Physical Educators ◽  
Functional Understanding ◽  
Adapted Physical Educators ◽  
General Physical ◽  
General Physical Education

While sharing some characteristics with their general physical education colleagues, adapted physical educators also face unique challenges related to their role. For example, both general and adapted physical education teachers encounter stress stemming from the marginalized nature of their discipline but may navigate such experiences differently. Adapted physical education teachers often serve in itinerant roles travelling among multiple schools and may provide services for upwards of 100 students. They must also have a functional understanding of a wide variety of disabilities, individualize instruction for each student, collaborate with service providers across several schools, and be an active team member in the individualized education program process. As a result, they may need to advocate for themselves, their students, and the role of the discipline in different and unique ways. Drawing from research on general and adapted physical education teacher socialization, and available research-informed practices, the purpose of this paper is to describe the unique stressors associated with teaching adapted physical education and strategies they may implement as part of local advocacy.

Adapted Physical Education in the Special Education Process

2020 ◽  
pp. 61-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Mcnamara ◽  
Cheng-Chen Pan
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Individualized Education Program ◽  
Adapted Physical Education ◽  
Physical Educators ◽  
Special Education Process ◽  
Adapted Physical Educators ◽  
The Individual ◽  
General Physical ◽  
General Physical Education

Adapted physical education (APE) services have the same overall objectives as general physical education; however, adapted physical educators should implement accommodations and modifications to personalize the programs to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities. Because of the high levels of health disparity for people with disabilities, as well as cognitive and socio-emotional benefits associated with physical activity and exercise, it is crucial that students with disabilities receive high-quality APE programming. To give the readers a broad overview of APE and how it should be implemented, this chapter covers the following topics: physical education and physical literacy, the benefits of physical education and exercise for students with disabilities, federal laws in relation to physical education for students with disabilities, the role of adapted physical educators in interdisciplinary team approaches within the individualized education program process, and highlighting specialized teaching strategies and specialized equipment for students with disabilities.

Adapted Physical Education in the Special Education Process

2022 ◽  
pp. 172-190
Author(s):  
Scott Mcnamara ◽  
Cheng-Chen Pan
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Individualized Education Program ◽  
Adapted Physical Education ◽  
Physical Educators ◽  
Special Education Process ◽  
Adapted Physical Educators ◽  
The Individual ◽  
General Physical ◽  
General Physical Education

Adapted physical education (APE) services have the same overall objectives as general physical education; however, adapted physical educators should implement accommodations and modifications to personalize the programs to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities. Because of the high levels of health disparity for people with disabilities, as well as cognitive and socio-emotional benefits associated with physical activity and exercise, it is crucial that students with disabilities receive high-quality APE programming. To give the readers a broad overview of APE and how it should be implemented, this chapter covers the following topics: physical education and physical literacy, the benefits of physical education and exercise for students with disabilities, federal laws in relation to physical education for students with disabilities, the role of adapted physical educators in interdisciplinary team approaches within the individualized education program process, and highlighting specialized teaching strategies and specialized equipment for students with disabilities.

Workplace Experiences of Adapted Physical Educators: A Comparison of Educators With and Without National Certification

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Wesley J. Wilson ◽  
Steven K. Holland ◽  
Justin A. Haegele ◽  
K. Andrew R. Richards
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Organizational Support ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Adapted Physical Education ◽  
Physical Education Teachers ◽  
Physical Educators ◽  
Workplace Experiences ◽  
Adapted Physical Educators ◽  
Perceived Mattering

Purpose: To better understand the workplace experiences of adapted physical education teachers with particular attention given to differences between those with and without Adapted Physical Education National Standards certification. Role socialization theory was used as the theoretical framework to explore how teachers navigate the contexts of their work environment. Methods: The participants included a total of 233 adapted physical education teachers, 131 with certification and 102 without it. The participants completed an online survey examining marginalization and isolation, perceived mattering, role stress, resilience, job satisfaction, perceived organizational support, and emotional exhaustion. Results: Certified adapted physical educators perceived less marginalization and role ambiguity and more perceived mattering than their noncertified counterparts. Discussion/Conclusion: These findings are consistent with other research suggesting the positive association between workplace experiences and advanced certifications. As the requirements for certification continue to advance and change, this study highlights the need for the continued study of advanced certification.

Comparison of Attitudes of Regular and Adapted Physical Educators toward Disabled Individuals

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 425-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
April Tripp
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Emotionally Disturbed ◽  
Disabled Persons ◽  
Adapted Physical Education ◽  
Physical Education Teachers ◽  
Physical Educators ◽  
Attitudes Toward Disabled ◽  
The Disabled ◽  
Adapted Physical Educators ◽  
Teachers Attitudes

The Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons Scale (Form B) and a ranking survey of 10 disabling conditions were administered to 38 physical education teachers and 47 adapted physical education teachers. Both groups of teachers' attitudes toward the disabled were below the scale median. Both groups of teachers were more accepting of individuals with physical disabilities such as, amputee, harelip, and epilepsy, than individuals who were mentally retarded, cerebral palsied, and emotionally disturbed.

Recruitment and initial socialization into adapted physical education teacher education

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Andrew R Richards ◽  
Wesley J Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Adapted Physical Education ◽  
Physical Education Teachers ◽  
Physical Educators ◽  
Physical Education Teacher ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
Physical Education Teacher Education ◽  
Adapted Physical Educators

While much has been learned about the socialization of physical education teachers through occupational socialization theory, less is known about the socialization of adapted physical educators. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences leading individuals to enrol in a graduate-level adapted physical education teacher education programme in the United States. Participants included 17 first semester preservice adapted physical education teachers (5 males, 12 females). Data were collected through two individual interviews with each participant and autobiographical essay writing. Results revealed similarities and differences in the recruitment of adapted physical educators and physical education generalists. Specific themes included: (a) individuals with disabilities were the most powerful socializing agents; (b) both positive and negative experiences in sport and physical education facilitated recruitment; (c) an incomplete apprenticeship of observation framed recruitment; and (d) participants had different background experiences and espoused diverse career goals. Results are discussed with implications focusing on the socialization of both physical educators and adapted physical education specialists.

PREPARING FUTURE PHYSICAL EDUCATORS FOR INCLUSION: CHANGING THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin E. BLOCK ◽  
Eun Hye KWON ◽  
Sean HEALY
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Online Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Adapted Physical Education ◽  
Physical Educators ◽  
Physical Education Teacher ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
Physical Education Teacher Education ◽  
General Physical

Students with disabilities around the world are leaving special schools and special classes and are receiving their education in general education schools. In addition to attending general education classes, these students with disabilities are attending general physical education classes. Unfortunately, research has clearly demonstrated that physical educators do not feel prepared to include students with disabilities into their general physical education classes. Such findings are not surprising given that the typical physical education teacher education program in the United States only requires one course in adapted physical education, and in many countries around the world not even one adapted physical education course is required. However, many physical education teacher education programs do not have the space to add more adapted physical education classes, and other universities do not have professors with specialized knowledge to teach adapted physical education. What can be done to better prepare future and current physical educators? Online education is a relatively new method for delivering information about disability in general and more specifically how to include students with disabilities into general physical activities. The purpose of this paper is to introduce online education and present preliminary research that supports the use of online training with physical educators.

Physical Educators’ Judgments About Inclusion: A New Instrument for Preservice Teachers

2002 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 435-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel R. Hodge ◽  
Nathan M. Murata ◽  
Francis M. Kozub
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Physical Educators ◽  
Physical Education Teacher Education ◽  
New Instrument ◽  
Pete Programs ◽  
General Physical ◽  
General Physical Education

The purpose was to develop an instrument for use in physical education teacher education (PETE) programs that would yield valid evidence of the judgments of PETE preservice teachers toward the inclusion of students with disabilities into general physical education classes. Both the conceptualization that judgments represent the cognitive expressions of attitudes (Ajzen, 2001; Sherif & Hovland, 1961) and focus group discussions were used to create the Physical Educators’ Judgments About Inclusion (PEJI) instrument. Following content validation procedures, we administered PEJI to 272 PETE preservice teachers. Subsequent principal component analysis to generate construct validity evidence indicated 15 items should be retained; they collectively explained 53% of the variance using a three-component model. Dimensions of the PEJI pertained to judgments about inclusion, acceptance, and perceived training needs. Alpha coefficients for the three subscales ranged from .64 to .88.

Promoting Social Acceptance and Inclusion in Physical Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 004005992110296
Author(s):  
Kason O’Neil ◽  
LeAnn Olson
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Cognitive Learning ◽  
Teacher Behaviors ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Physical Educators ◽  
General Physical ◽  
General Physical Education

In addition to psychomotor and cognitive learning, social development is one of the three pillars of the national standards for physical education instruction. Though a plethora of research has exhibited the benefits social inclusion can have for students with and without disabilities, inclusion cannot be successful unless physical educators are deliberate, persistent, and continually reflective on the needs of students. The purpose of this paper is to outline the state of inclusion of students with disabilities in a general physical education classes and to highlight teacher behaviors and instructional techniques that promote social acceptance and inclusion for all students in physical education.

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