Taking Steps to Inclusion

Quality inclusive physical activity programs have demonstrated vast benefits for all individuals, with or without disabilities. School-based physical activity interventions, including physical education (PE), have been identified as an effective means for increasing physical activity levels. Unfortunately, full implementation of inclusive practices in PE is often hindered. Specifically, when discussing inclusive PE, teachers play a vital role in initiating and creating quality and effective PE experiences for all students. Teachers however, often note challenges related to full inclusion citing a lack of training and resources. Although, teacher training in inclusive PE has demonstrated favourable teacher level outcomes, there has yet to be a comprehensive study concerning i) theory-based factors related to teacher behavior, ii) the impact teacher training resources have on inclusive PE practice, and iii) the adoption of inclusive PE teacher training resources. In a successive manner, four distinct, yet related, studies were undertaken and work to provide valuable information to the current understanding of the complex nature of teacher behavior and behavior change specific to inclusive PE practice. Broadly, the studies in this dissertation emphasize the significance of theory for interventions within practical settings (i.e., within an educational and/or inclusive PE context). In order to provide teachers with more than knowledge-based information, interventions, such as inclusive PE training resources, should be rooted in behavior change theory. More specifically, this dissertation supports and advocates for the expanded use of the TDF as a framework to understand behavior change within an inclusive PE setting. The explicit use of the TDF throughout this program of research has bolstered the interventions influence on determinants of behavior and provided the researchers with a conceptual understanding and allowed for the findings to be connected to existing knowledge. Further, developing and nurturing closer partnerships with relevant stakeholders (e.g., teachers, PE teachers, administration) is strongly recommended. A participatory development process is suggested when considering new or updating existing inclusive PE training resources. Partnering with relevant stakeholders should be considered throughout the development and dissemination of inclusive PE training resources.