Teachers' Attitudes Towards Inclusion in Physical Education: An Eye-Tracking Study

Teachers have expressed negative attitudes towards inclusive physical education (PE), leading to the irregular inclusion of students with disabilities (SWD). Guided by the Elaboration Likelihood Model, the objectives of this study were to: a) examine the effect of information from Opheas Steps to Inclusion (SI) document on teachers attitudes regarding inclusive PE, and b) examine the association between attention, cognitive processing, relevance, and attitude change. Teachers (N=50) were exposed to information from the SI document. Attention data were collected via eye tracking technology. Attitudes significantly improved from baseline to post-information (t(49) = -3.16, p < .05), and from baseline to the two-week follow up (t(41) = -2.04, p < .05). Attention (B=.16, p<.01) was a significant predictor of attitude change, R2=.63, F(4,42)=16.70, p<.01. Teachers attitudes improved after attending to information from the SI teaching resource, which suggests that the resource may be valuable for enhancing teachers attitudes toward inclusive PE.