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Inclusion of Autistic Children in Physical Education Classes in Greek Mainstream Schools: Attitudes, Challenges, and Strategies of Physical Educators
Jönköping University, School of Education and Communication.
2024 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 10 credits / 15 HE creditsStudent thesis
Abstract [en]

The literature in Greece on the attitudes and challenges of physical education (PE) teachers, particularly regarding the inclusion of autistic children in mainstream PE classes, is limited and outdated. Additionally, there is no literature detailing the strategies employed by PE teachers to include autistic children in PE classes. This study aimed to explore the attitudes of PE teachers toward the inclusion of autistic children in PE classes, along with the challenges they face and the strategies they employ. Using a qualitative approach, interviews were conducted with six Greek PE teachers employed in mainstream schools to investigate this topic. Inductive thematic analysis revealed four overarching themes: (1) The positive and negative effects of inclusion on diverse communities and considerations surrounding it, (2) Systemic, societal, and individual obstacles work against inclusion in physical education, (3) Individualized approaches meet the diverse needs of children fostering their inclusion in physical education, (4) Promoting peer collaboration through a participatory partnership and motivational and educational approaches. PE teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion were mostly positive. However, negative aspects were linked to challenging behaviors and the severe level of autism, attributed to limited knowledge and training of non-specialized PE teachers. Challenges related to systemic inadequacies also hindered efforts toward inclusion. A variety of individualized strategies were employed by PE teachers to meet the needs of the children.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2024. , p. 37
Keywords [en]
autism, inclusion, PE classes, mainstream schools, attitudes, challenges, strategies, Greece
National Category
Educational Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-66043OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hj-66043DiVA, id: diva2:1892434
Subject / course
HLK, Child Studies
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Examiners
Available from: 2024-09-06 Created: 2024-08-26 Last updated: 2025-10-13Bibliographically approved

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CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

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Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf