Perspectives of Students With Disabilities Toward Physical Education: A Review Update 2014–2019

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Katherine Holland
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Justin A. Haegele
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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/kr.2020-0002
First Published Online:
03 Jan 2021
In Print:
Volume 10: Issue 1
Page Range:
78–87
Restricted access

The purpose of this article is to review qualitative inquiries examining the perspectives of students with disabilities toward physical education (PE) published from 2014 to 2019, as an update to the 2015 review by Haegele and Sutherland. Keyword searches were used to identify articles from nine electronic databases, and seven articles met all inclusion criteria. The seven selected articles were subjected to a narrative analysis, and three thematic clusters emerged: (a) an “inconvenience”: the PE teacher’s influence on quality of experience, (b) “we play together and I like it”: friendships central to the quality of PE experience, and (c) “no lift access to the gym”: barriers to successful participation. Findings from this review support the notion that students with disabilities may have positive experiences in PE if they are offered appropriate modifications and accommodations and are provided with increased kind and supportive interactions with staff and peers.

The authors are with the Dept. of Human Movement Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA.

Holland (kholl011@odu.edu) is corresponding author.
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