Teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion in physical education: systematic review and meta-analysis of studies conducted before and after the Salamanca Statement

ABSTRACTThe case for inclusion of students with disabilities and special educational needs (SEND) in mainstream physical education (PE) classes has increased over the last four decades. This is because PE has been consistently reported as a key whole-child context for promoting the inclusion of SEND students; though, research still shows that teachers’ attitudes are still proximal factors constraining the inclusion of achievement of inclusion goals. This study aims to quantitatively investigate the association between macro-level policy intervention, the Salamanca Statement, and teachers’ attitudes. A systematic search of the literature was conducted in April 2022, and 2,120 records were retrieved. Sixteen articles that surveyed teachers’ attitudes using validated instruments were included in the meta-analysis. Results showed that the cross-study means for teachers’ attitudes in studies published after the Salamanca Statement were more positive than the corresponding means from studies published before the publication of the Salamanca Statement. The findings provided in this study are also framed within the context of micro- and macro-level change, and implications for future research and practices are further discussed.KEYWORDS: Inclusionphysical educationSalamanca Statementteachers’ attitudesmeta-analysissystematic review Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 The year 1975 was chosen because it marks the year of the first public law (in the United States) regarding the rights of children with disabilities to access mainstream education – namely, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Congress Citation1975).Additional informationFundingThis work was part of a PhD prooject that was funded by the Irish Research Council under the Government of Ireland Postgraduate scheme [grant no GOIPG/2018/2996]Notes on contributorsGiampiero TarantinoGiampiero Tarantino, was a PhD in Inclusive Education at the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Ireland. His research primarily focuses on inclusion with disabilities and special educational needs in physical activity and physical education. He has also published various systematic reviews and meta-analyses in other scientific fields in peer reviewed journals.Kyriaki MakopoulouKyriaki Makopoulou is the programme lead for BSc in Sport, Physical Education and Coaching Science at the University of Birmingham. Kyriaki was an undergraduate student in the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences in Athens, Greece (1996-2000) completed an MSc in Physical Education (awarded with distinction) at Loughborough University in 2003 and a PhD on teachers professional learning (Loughborough University) in 2009.Ross D. NevilleRoss D Neville is an assistant professor in the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science at University College Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. His PhD was in the field of recreation and leisure studies, which he received from Technology University Dublin. His current research focuses on teacher- and child-level interventions that promote physical activity and facilitate physical education for children with special educational needs and disabilities.