Influence of a physical education teacher’s disability on middle school pupils’ learning and perceptions of teacher competence

Abstract

Limited research has investigated the problems encountered by physical education teachers who have disabilities and instruct able-bodied pupils. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of a physical education teacher’s disability on middle school pupils’ perceptions of the teacher’s competence and their learning. Participants were 201 7th and 8th grade pupils (age range 12 to 16 years). They were randomly assigned to watch one of two videotaped swimming lessons. These lessons were identical except that in the first lesson the teacher taught from a wheelchair (WCL) while in the second she was able-bodied (ABL). Immediately following the watching of their assigned lesson, pupils completed a questionnaire asking them about their perceptions of the teacher’s competence and an examination over lesson content. Inferential statistical tests revealed that there were no significant differences in the perception and examination scores of those pupils who viewed the WCL and the ABL. These results provide further support for a sociological explanation of how and why pupils of different ages respond to and learn from physical education teachers with a disability.