To Include The Invisible: Organizing For Inclusion Of Pupils With Neurodevelopmental Diagnoses In PE

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back to searchAuthor(s):Anna Thoren(presenting / submitting)Ninitha MaivorsdotterMikael QuennerstedtConference:ECER 2019Network:18. Research in Sports PedagogyFormat:Paper

Session Information

18 SES 01, Inclusive Agendas in Physical Education and Youth Sport

Paper Session

Time:2019-09-0313:15-14:45Room:VMP 9 - Room B528Chair:Oliver Hooper

Contribution

In Sweden many pupils who are diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) such as ADHD and Autism are included in general PE classes. We know that these pupils often are more sensitive to demands, stressful situations and they have to struggle to decode social interactions between peers (Vickerman & Coates, 2009b; Overton, Wrench & Garrett, 2016; Lieberman & Block, 2017; Fitzgerald & Stride, 2012; Healy et al., 2013). When it comes to lessons in PE we don’t know much about how they perceive the education situation and what they need for PE to be successful and inclusive for them. Therefore we conducted a previous study (2017/2018) which was presented in a seminar in ECER 2018.

Outcomes from the first study showed that practices of exclusion of the pupils with NDD was particularly striking in one of the schools and during the interviews pupils gave voice to criticism of the way these lessons were organized. They never knew beforehand what the agenda for the upcoming lesson was and they had little knowledge about what was expected of them. This seems to have led to a strong reluctance to participate actively in these lessons. Examples of successful inclusive practices for the pupils with NDD was also evident in the other school.

Building on the results of this previous study we designed an intervention study in collaboration with the school leadership management. The principals participated in a workshop lead by the first author in which we discussed the outcomes of the first study in depth and planned for an organizational improvement, using the available digital tools for increased communication between all staff involved in the PE lessons.

The aim of this interview study is to explore how some of these pupils experience the lesson planning and execution of PE practice after the improved organizational design has been implemented during one year (2018/2019). The focus is on inclusion and exclusion processes and the main research question is: What becomes of Physical Education in classes where pupils with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) are integrated?

Method

Data generation found in previous research regarding inclusion in PE are mainly qualitative and often consists of semi-structured, individual interviews with pupils (Fitzgerald & Stride, 2012; Spencer-Cavaliere & Watkinson, 2010; Healy et al., 2013). This led us to follow the same path and the data assemblage consists of field observations and in-depth interviews with pupils in two classes ages 12-13 in intermediate level primary school in a small municipality in west Sweden. Rubin & Rubin (2005) describes individual interviews as “a conversational partnership” which is important to establish during the gathering of data and the ambition was to conduct these types of conversations with the pupils in the study. The second study will turn back to the pupils from the previous study but also take time to interview teaching staff to find out how the intervention affected their experience of planning and teaching, and if it led to improvement of the setting for inclusive education.

Expected Outcomes

Preliminary findings show that when school management took part in the workshop where results from the first study was presented and discussed in depth, their understanding of the situation for pupils with NDD in general PE increased and they used their managing position to create an improved organization around general PE. This has lead to a better situation for the teaching staff but has it also improved the experience of the pupils? In-depth interviews with pupils in the two classes will be conducted during spring 2019 and the outcomes will be reported in the paper and presentation in ECER 2019.

References

Fitzgerald, H. & Stride, A. (2012). Stories about Physical Education from Young People with Disabilities. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education. Vol.59, No. 3, September 2012, 283-293 Healy, S., Msetfi, R. & Gallagher, S. (2013). ‘Happy and a bit nervous’: the experiences of children with autism in physical education. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 41, 222 – 228. John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Lieberman, L.J. & Block, M. (2017). Inclusive settings in adapted physical activity – a worldwide reality? Routledge Handbook of Physical Education Pedagogies, 2017. Overton, H., Wrench, A. & Garrett, R. (2016). Pedagogies for inclusion of junior primary students with disabilities in PE. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, DOI: 10.1080/17408989.2016.1176134 Rubin, H.J. & Rubin, I.S. (2005) Qualitative Interviewing (2nd ed.): The Art of Hearing Data Sage publication, Sage books. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781452226651 Spencer-Cavaliere, N. & Watkinson, E.J. (2010). Inclusion understood from the perspectives of children with disability. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 2010, 275 – 293. Human Kinetics, Inc. Vickerman, P. & Coates, J. K. (2009). Trainee and recently qualified physical education teachers’ perspective on including children with special educational needs. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 14:2, 137-153

Author Information

Anna Thoren (presenting / submitting)Örebro UniversityHealth SciencesNinitha MaivorsdotterUniversity of SkövdeInstitution of Health and EducationSkövdeMikael Quennerstedt,Orebro University

Including the invisible – a study of what PE practice becomes in classes in which pupils with neurodevelopmental disorders are integrated

Abstract Background: Previous research on inclusive physical education (PE) has often focused on pupils with visible physical disabilities and how to facilitate and adapt PE so that they can play an active role in the educational situation. Many lessons about inclusion have emerged from this important field. However, less is known about more ‘invisible’ variations. In Sweden, for example, many pupils who are diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), such as ADHD and Autism, are integrated into mainstream classes. These pupils are often more sensitive to demands and stressful situations and struggle to decode social interactions. When it comes to lessons in PE, little is known about how pupils with NDD perceive the educational situation and what they need so that PE is successful for them. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate what PE practice becomes in classes in which pupils with NDD are integrated. John Dewey’s transactional perspective is applied and the research question is: What are the inclusion and exclusion processes in classes in which pupils with NDD are integrated? Methods: Data generation consisted of 9 field observations and 13 individual interviews with pupils (aged 10-11) in three classes in two different schools in one municipality. The municipality was awarded a grant by the Swedish authorities to work towards the creation of a more favourable school situation for pupils with NDD. The students who were diagnosed as having NDD were not known in advance. The sample also consisted of pupils without a diagnosis and one pupil with NDD was not sampled. This was a conscious choice based on an ambition to study these pupils at a group level together with peers. Findings: The study identified that PE practices include processes of inclusion and exclusion. These practices are: (i) to organise, (i) to cooperate, (ii) to sweat and (iii) to win. ‘To organise’ is a comprehensive practice that is transactionally identified and is foregrounded by teachers’ actions, while the other three are embedded in the practice ‘to organise’, which has pupils’ actions in the foreground. Within each practice, processes of inclusion and exclusion are described using excerpts from the pupils own voices. Conclusion: The study reveals how some inclusive practices that are implemented to support some pupils with NDD exclude other pupils with or without NDD. Accordingly, working in an integrated way can be both inclusive and exclusive. It would seem that successful inclusive education in PE is as much about group dynamics as about different diagnoses of pupils. Applying a pupil’s perspective in further research will be crucial if we want to learn more about the practical and emotional implications of inclusive education in PE. Keywords: neurodevelopmental disorders, physical education, inclusion processes, exclusion processes, primary school

Background

Previous research on inclusive physical education (PE) has often focused on pupils with visible physical disabilities and how best to facilitate and adapt PE so that they can play an active role in the educational situation. Many lessons about inclusion have emerged from this important field. However, less is known about more ‘invisible’ variations. In Sweden, many pupils who are diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), are integrated into mainstream classes. These pupils are often more sensitive to demands and stressful situations and struggle to decode social interactions. When it comes to lessons in PE, little is known about how pupils with NDD experience the educational situation and what they need to do to be successful in PE.

Purpose

The aim of this article is to explore what PE practices become in classes in which pupils with NDD are integrated in terms of inclusion or exclusion processes. Drawing on the work of John Dewey, we suggest a transactional perspective on inclusion. This facilitates a non-dualistic exploration of inclusive PE and makes it possible to take the experiences of pupils with NDD and their peers into account.

Methods

In the article we use a transactional framework with a focus on experience, meaning-making and habits using the following analytical questions: (i) What are the experiences of integrated PE? (ii) How do these events appear as inclusive? (iii) How do they appear as exclusive? The data generation consisted of 9 field observations and 13 individual interviews with pupils aged between 10 and 11 years in three classes in two different schools in one municipality. The municipality was awarded a grant by the Swedish authorities to work towards the creation of more favourable school situations for pupils with NDD. Three classes in which pupils with NDD diagnoses were integrated in PE were selected.

Findings

The study identified four PE practices in which inclusion and exclusion processes were prominent: (i) to organise, (ii) to cooperate, (iii) to sweat and (iv) to win. ‘To organise’ is a comprehensive practice that is transactionally identified and foregrounded by teachers’ actions. The other three are embedded in the practice ‘to organise’, which foregrounds pupils’ actions. The study shows that pupils are included in a certain kind of PE practice when it becomes an organised practice of sweating, competing and cooperating.

Conclusion

The study reveals that some of the inclusive practices that are designed to support pupils with NDD exclude other pupils with or without NDD. Accordingly, working in an integrated way can be both inclusive and exclusive. It would thus seem that successful inclusive education in PE is as much about group dynamics as about ‘individual pupils with problems’. In order to achieve inclusion, teachers need to focus on actively communicating with pupils, colleagues and parents, on how and what to teach and on what students are supposed to learn.