Physical Education Teachers’ Perceptions Surrounding the Barriers and Solutions to Sustaining Inclusive Practice within Key Stage Three and Four in Three PE Departments in Gloucestershire, England

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to gain a realistic insight into the delivery of inclusive practice in physical education, particularly within key stage three and four, from the views of the subject teachers. Moreover it identified the barriers in its implementation and their objective in aiming to fully practice inclusion. The overall picture of the delivery of inclusive practice in physical education today was also explored in relation to the differences between independent and state schools in England. This study employed a qualitative methodology in which semi-structured interviews were used in order to allow for the collection of rich and in-depth data. Six physical education teachers were used in the study from three schools in the English county of Gloucestershire; two independent schools and one state school. The interview covered topics which included; the definition of inclusive practice, its achievability, the effective teaching of physical education, and the barriers of inclusive practice for example gender, time allocation, finance and facilities. The conclusions drawn from this study show that irrespective of the school, an understanding of the definition of inclusive practice and its barriers was achieved based on the data collected and from the literature examined. Many key issues arose from the in-depth analysis, allowing for the true realities of its implementation to be examined. The PE teachers’ views exposed the realities and truth behind the effective teaching of inclusive practice, its barriers and the solutions in addressing this issue, as well as distinguishing the differences in school sectors.