Graduate Students' Initial Exploration Of Teaching Students with Disabilities In Physical Education

The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning master's degree students ascribed to their first semester of experience teaching students with severe and profound disability (SPD) in a physical education (PE) practicum. This study utilized a narrative inquiry design and interviews were conducted with four graduate students focusing on their perceptions, experiences, and thoughts of teaching students with SPD in PE. Narrative research is used in the studies of educational practices and experiences, and conceptualizes teachers as storytellers who individually and socially lead storied teaching and professional lives (Connelly & Clandinin, 1990). As part of their coursework, each participant completed hands-on practicum experiences teaching students with SPD. Data were collected through demographic questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, reflective journaling, and e-mail correspondences. Data were analyzed utilizing narrative analyses and three themes emerged; (a) learning about caring, (b) assessing students with disabilities, and (c) real life and daily realities. Overall, this study demonstrated that participants interpreted their experiences as difficult and challenging, yet rewarding. They reported that the experience helped change their perceptions about disability and caring relationships with students with disabilities, and understand concerns related to assessing and teaching students with SPD.