Attitudes of Saudi Students toward the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in Physical Education Classes

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine typical students’ attitudes toward the inclusion of students with disabilities in physical education (PE) classes. The participants were between 10 – 16 years of age and their grade level from fifth grade to ninth grade in the Eastern province in Saudi Arabia. The participants were 614 typical students in elementary and middle schools. Participants responded to Children’s Attitudes Toward Integrated Physical Education-Revised (CAIPE-R). The findings of this study indicated that the overall means scores of attitudes of all participants toward the inclusion of students with disabilities in physical education classes was 2.99, indicating normal attitudes toward the inclusion of students with disabilities in PE classes. In general, female students had more positive attitudes toward the inclusion of students with disabilities in PE classes than male students, as well as students who had a family member or a close friend with a disability, had more positive attitudes toward inclusion than students who did not have. Moreover, very competitive students had less attitudes toward inclusion than not competitive students did, and very competitive students who had students with disabilities in their schools had more positive attitudes toward inclusion than very competitive students who did not have students with disabilities in their schools. Finally, students who attended schools with students with disabilities had more positive attitudes toward inclusion than students who did not have students with disabilities in their schools. Keywords: Attitude, Disabilities, Physical Education, Saudi Arabia, Inclusion