Adapted Physical Education Teachers’ Concerns in Teaching Students with Disabilities in an Urban Public School District

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not adapted physical education (APE) teachers had job‐related concerns associated with teaching students with disabilities in an urban public school district. The participants were six experienced, itinerant APE teachers, who taught in urban public schools in a midwestern state in the United States. The research method was a collective case study situated in concerns theory. Data were collected from teacher interviews, on‐site observations, and stimulated recall sessions. Case analyses and cross‐case analyses were conducted using constant comparative procedures. Findings indicate that the teachers had job‐related concerns explainable within the tenets of concerns theory. They also had concerns not situated within concerns theory that were unique to their itinerant status.

Keywords:

• Adapted physical education
• Disabilities
• Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act
• Itinerant teacher

Notes

* IEP is defined as an individual educational program, which is a written document that certifies that a student, ages 3 through 21, meets criteria for assignment to one of the 13 disability categories under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 1997).

There was no research funding for this study, and no restrictions have been imposed on free access to, or publication of, the research data.