Attitudes and Grading Practices of Secondary Physical Educators in Regular Education Settings

Abstract

Fishbein and Ajzen’s (1975) reasoned action theoretical model was used to examine physical education teachers’ attitudes toward grading students with disabilities. Participants were 82 male and 100 female teachers who taught physical education in grade 6-8, representing 119 schools. The Physical Educators’ Attitude Toward Teaching Individuals with Disabilities (PEATID-III) survey and a grading practices questionnaire were administered. A three-way ANOVA indicated no significant differences in grading practices between genders and between teachers with positive and negative attitudes. However, comparison of grading practices for students with (M = 122.83) and without disabilities (M = 133.49) revealed significant differences, F(1, 154) = 21.31, p < .001. It was concluded that criteria for grading students with disabilities are significantly different from those for nondisabled classmates. Neither attitude nor gender made a significant difference in grading practices.