Inclusive Physical Education in Secondary School: An Exploration of Curriculum, Current Literature, and Teacher Perspectives

Abstract

Inclusive education involves the participation of all children, including those with disabilities, as an expectation within mainstream education. The goal of inclusive education in Ontario, Canada is for all students, regardless of differences, to have equitable access to curriculum instruction with their typically developing peers. Physical education (PE) involves curriculum delivery in unique settings. While inclusive practice in PE has been studied in elementary schools, less research has focused on secondary school. In this dissertation, I explore how curriculum, resources, and educational practices support or create barriers for provision of inclusive PE in secondary schools. The first manuscript describes a critical discourse analysis of the 2015 Ontario Physical Education Curriculum, Grades 9-12. Analysis considers how language is used and reflected within curricular text to represent inclusion. The analysis highlights that teachers require support beyond policy to practice inclusion, and advocates for teacher and student voices to be represented in curricular documents. The second manuscript presents a rapid review of current literature to overview resources for Universal Design for Learning (UDL) available to support implementation in PE settings. Findings show that literature available to encourage professional development in universal design in PE is limited but growing. Physical educators still require support to facilitate implementation of UDL in practice. The third manuscript uses interpretive description to explore the perspectives of Ontario secondary school PE teachers implementing inclusive PE. Physical educators express a need for professional development opportunities and in-situ resources that provide informed knowledge about inclusive practices. The discussion chapter reflects on the exploratory findings of this research. Collaboration with school-based rehabilitation health professionals, such as occupational therapists and physical therapists, may provide a novel approach to support physical educators. Future research, policy, and practice initiatives should consider teacher agency within the context of system-based barriers that exist and influence inclusive PE.