Female and Rural School Students Show More Positive Attitudes toward Disability during Physical Education Lessons

Abstract

Physical education (PE) lessons offer an excellent opportunity to encourage participation and learning for students with and without disabilities. However, there are still barriers that prevent educative inclusion (EI) from being achieved, with negative attitudes being one of the major issues. This study aimed to explore students without disabilities’ attitudes toward their peers with disabilities in the second stage of Primary Education, examining possible differences according to sex (male or female) and school location (urban or rural). The Scale of Attitudes toward Students with Disabilities in Physical Education–Primary Education (SASDPE-PE), a four-item instrument with a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), was administered to 545 Spanish students aged 9 to 12 years old. The results revealed that girls and students from rural schools showed more positive attitudes toward their peers with disabilities during the PE lessons; differences were significant in both cases. Thus, according to our findings, the SASDPE-PE is a practical tool to assess attitudes, even after an attitude-change programme. Furthermore, PE attitude-change programmes should be implemented, especially considering male students and those enrolled in urban schools.

Primary Students’ Attitudes towards Peers with Disabilities in Physical Education in Saudi Arabia

“…Moreover, in contrast to the current study’s findings, Rojo-Ramos et al [ 40 ] reported a significant difference between the attitudes of students without disabilities in rural and urban areas towards peers with disabilities. Although Rojo-Ramos et al [ 40 ] did not provide an explanation for this finding, in the Saudi case (as found in the current study), one potential reason that participants in rural areas report similar attitudes toward those with disabilities as those from urban areas is that the former, despite the reduced opportunity to meet or interact with many students with disabilities in their physical education classes or schools, conduct high levels of contact with their peers with disabilities [ 38 ]. Therefore, the current study’s findings were inconsistent with previous research reporting that interaction with peers with disabilities is a significant predictor of positive attitudes among students without disabilities [ 12 ].…”

“…The findings on the variable school location highlighted that participants attending schools in rural areas demonstrated similar attitudes toward peers with disabilities as participants attending schools in urban areas. Although there is limited research on the differences between urban and rural students’ attitudes towards peers with disabilities, a recent study by Rojo-Ramos et al [ 40 ] found that Spanish students without disabilities attending rural schools reported more positive attitudes towards peers with disabilities in physical education settings than those attending urban schools. Moreover, in contrast to the current study’s findings, Rojo-Ramos et al [ 40 ] reported a significant difference between the attitudes of students without disabilities in rural and urban areas towards peers with disabilities.…”

“…Although there is limited research on the differences between urban and rural students’ attitudes towards peers with disabilities, a recent study by Rojo-Ramos et al [ 40 ] found that Spanish students without disabilities attending rural schools reported more positive attitudes towards peers with disabilities in physical education settings than those attending urban schools. Moreover, in contrast to the current study’s findings, Rojo-Ramos et al [ 40 ] reported a significant difference between the attitudes of students without disabilities in rural and urban areas towards peers with disabilities. Although Rojo-Ramos et al [ 40 ] did not provide an explanation for this finding, in the Saudi case (as found in the current study), one potential reason that participants in rural areas report similar attitudes toward those with disabilities as those from urban areas is that the former, despite the reduced opportunity to meet or interact with many students with disabilities in their physical education classes or schools, conduct high levels of contact with their peers with disabilities [ 38 ].…”

“…However, the impact of gender was not reported by Arampatzi et al [ 35 ]. In Spain, Rojo-Ramos et al [ 40 ] reported significant differences between the two research cohorts; females and students from rural schools expressed more positive attitudes toward their peers with disabilities in physical education classes. Additionally, because the type of school (i.e., public or private) may play a role in students’ attitudes towards their peers with disabilities, it is important to examine the influence of this variable.…”

Attitudes towards Peers with Disabilities among Schoolchildren in Physical Education Classes

“…The few investigations in this area have yielded mixed results. While Parra and Riojas [70] found no difference when considering the location of the school, a study this year identified better attitudes in students from rural schools [71]. Similarly, there is an evident scarcity of studies focused on assessing the differences in these attitudes according to age group.…”