Cultivating Pre-Service Physical Educators as Inclusion Specialist via Situated Learning. Grant uri icon

abstract

  • The aim of this proposed study is to explore the impact of situated learning instructional model utilized in the course of adapted physical education (APE) as a way of promoting pre-service physical educators? knowledge and skills of inclusion practices for students with disabilities (SWD) in general physical education (GPE). Specifically, this study focuses on examining two dimensions of the pre-service teachers? learning: (a) transforming teaching practice through situated learning and (b) conceptualizing the notion of disability and inclusion. Teaching SWD in GPE program is such a trend in today?s public schools in U.S. It results in pre-service physical educators to be trained as inclusion specialist. However, many physical educators still retained the feelings of incompetency to include SWD in GPE programs. Both in-service and pre-service physical educators have indicated that their training was neither sufficient nor adequate to work with SWD. Therefore, the purpose of this study is two folds: (a) implementing a series of structured and situated learning experiences to the APE courses and (b) exploring pre-service physical education teachers? pedagogical reflection of teaching and including students with disabilities in GPE programs. A qualitative intrinsic case study approach guided from ethnography methodology will be utilized to explore the pre-service physical educators? learning experiences in the APE courses offered in 2016/2017 academic year. Six situated learning experiences (recognition, exposure, analysis, researching and problem-solving, teaching and reflection, and conceptualization) will be implemented to the course, and approximately 30 pre-service physical educators will be recruited. Data will be gathered from interview, participant observation, documents and visual artifacts, researcher?s journals. Using an inductive thematic analysis, the experiences and learning patterns within case and between cases will be analyzed. Specifically, I will focus on analyzing pre-service physical education teachers? reflection on teaching SWD in inclusive setting at the personal, institutional, and societal levels.

date/time interval

  • May 2016 - August 2017

contributor