Attitudes towards Peers with Disabilities among Schoolchildren in Physical Education Classes

Jorge Rojo-Ramos, Santiago Gomez-Paniagua (), Jose Carmelo Adsuar, Maria Mendoza-Muñoz, Antonio Castillo-Paredes (), Angel Denche-Zamorano, Miguel Angel Garcia-Gordillo and Sabina Barrios-Fernandez
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Jorge Rojo-Ramos: Physical Activity for Education, Performance and Health, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Santiago Gomez-Paniagua: BioẼrgon Research Group, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Jose Carmelo Adsuar: Promoting a Healthy Society Research Group (PHeSO), Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Maria Mendoza-Muñoz: Research Group on Physical and Health Literacy and Health-Related Quality of Life (PHYQOL), Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, 10003 Caceres, Spain
Antonio Castillo-Paredes: Grupo AFySE, Investigación en Actividad Física y Salud Escolar, Escuela de Pedagogía en Educación Física, Facultad de Educación, Universidad de Las Américas, Santiago 8370040, Chile
Angel Denche-Zamorano: Promoting a Healthy Society Research Group (PHeSO), Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Miguel Angel Garcia-Gordillo: Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Talca 3467987, Chile
Sabina Barrios-Fernandez: Occupation, Participation, Sustainability and Quality of Life (Ability Research Group), Nursing and Occupational Therapy College, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 5, 1-11

Abstract: All children, including those living with disabilities, have the right to be provided with Inclusive Education (IE) together with appropriate support in scholarly settings. A key factor for educational inclusion is peers’ attitudes towards disabilities, which impact disabled students’ social participation and learning. Physical Education (PE) classes represent an opportunity for students with disabilities to get psychological, social, health, and educational benefits. This study aimed to assess Spanish students’ attitudes regarding their peers with disabilities during PE lessons and to explore possible differences between gender, school location, and age group. The sample consisted of 1437 students from public schools in Extremadura (Spain) from the primary and secondary stages. Participants completed the Attitude towards Students with Disabilities in Physical Education (EAADEF-EP) Questionnaire. The Mann-Whitney U test was carried out to establish differences in scores according to sex, school location, age group, and correlations between age and item scores using the Spearman’s Rho test. The results displayed significant differences in the total and item scores considering sex and centre location, with good reliability values (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.86). The EAADEF-EP Questionnaire has proven to be a quick, easy, and inexpensive tool to assess attitudes. Girls and participants whose school was in a rural setting had better attitudes towards inclusion. This study’s results highlight the importance of carrying out educational actions and programs to improve students’ attitudes towards their peers with disabilities considering the influences of the studied variables.

Keywords: inclusion; attitudes; physical education; disabilities; peers; educational system (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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